Judicial probe into September 24 Leh violence to begin from Saturday

Judicial probe into September 24 Leh violence to begin from Saturday

The judicial inquiry into the violent clashes of September 24 in Leh will begin on Saturday, inviting aggrieved persons to record their testimonies before members of the probe panel.

The Centre on October 17 moved to address a key demand of protesting Ladakh groups by announcing a judicial inquiry headed by a retired Supreme Court judge into the Leh clashes, which claimed the lives of four people, including a 1999 Kargil war veteran.

“The judicial inquiry regarding the September 24 incident in Leh town shall be held at the Alternate Dispute Redressal Centre at Melongthang in Leh from October 25 to October 28,” an order issued by Consultant, Law and Justice Department, Qureshi Tariq Mehmood, said on Friday.

He further stated that necessary arrangements for conducting the inquiry are to be made on a priority basis.

The order also requested interested and aggrieved persons, if any, to record their testimonies before the members of the judicial panel.

The clashes between security forces and protesters — who were demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory — left four civilians dead and 90 injured, escalating a months-long agitation.

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the judicial probe headed by Justice B S Chauhan, a former judge of the Supreme Court, is mandated to investigate the “circumstances leading to the serious law and order situation, the police action, and the resultant unfortunate deaths of four people.” Retired district and sessions judge Mohan Singh Parihar will function as the Judicial Secretary, while IAS officer Tushar Anand will serve as the Administrative Secretary of the inquiry commission.

In the first sign of a thaw, leaders of Ladakh met home ministry representatives in Delhi on Wednesday for sub-committee-level talks. During the meeting, Ladakh representatives demanded the immediate release of all arrested leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuck, the widely recognised face of the agitation.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have also demanded adequate compensation for the next of kin of those killed.

Wangchuck, arrested under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail. The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner “prejudicial to the defence of India.” The maximum detention period under the NSA is 12 months, though it can be revoked earlier.