LEH (Kashmir English): The Leh Apex Body (LAB) has strongly condemned the continued curbs on public gatherings and mobile internet in Indian illegally occupied Ladakh, saying the administration is intimidating activists and community leaders instead of addressing people’s genuine demands for justice and democratic rights.
According to Kashmir Media Service, LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook, while addressing a press conference in Leh, said the administration’s claims of “normalcy” were false and misleading.
Unrest in Ladakh
“On the surface, there is an illusion of calm, but in reality, harassment and restrictions continue unabated. True normalcy can only return when curbs on communication and assembly are lifted,” he clarified to the Modi regime.
Lakrook, who also heads the Ladakh Buddhist Association, urged the authorities to immediately restore mobile internet and allow peaceful gatherings to rebuild public confidence.
The restrictions were imposed after Indian forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Leh on September 24, killing four civilians and injuring nearly 100 others.
Leh continues to remain under tight control, with local leaders, including numberdars (village headmen), being questioned by police.
The LAB termed the questioning of community heads “a direct attack on Ladakh’s culture and social fabric.”
The LAB also reaffirmed solidarity with the incarcerated climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who remains jailed under the draconian National Security Act (NSA) in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur Central Jail.
Reiterating their demand for Sixth Schedule status and full statehood, the LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) said intimidation and repression cannot bring peace to Ladakh.
“Normalcy will not return through fear. The Modi regime must act sincerely to restore democracy, dignity, and trust in the region,” their joint statement added.
