Curfew relaxed for 4 hours in violence-hit Leh town, situation peaceful: Officials

For the first time since curfew was imposed three days ago in violence-hit Leh town of Ladakh, the restrictions were relaxed Saturday afternoon in a phased manner for a few hours, providing relief to residents who lined up outside shops selling essential commodities.

Police and paramilitary forces intensified patrolling and checking since early this morning to maintain law and order following the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) the previous day, officials said, adding no untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the relaxation period.

The Director General of Police, Ladakh, S.D. Singh Jamwal, said that curfew was relaxed for a total of four hours.

“We have taken a decision (to ease restrictions). The curfew is relaxed for two hours from 1 PM to 3 PM in the first phase in old city areas, followed by a two-hour relaxation in new areas from 3.30 pm to 5.30 PM,” Director General of Police, Ladakh, S D Singh Jamwal told reporters here.

The curfew was clamped in the town on Wednesday evening after widespread violence resulted in the death of four persons and injuries to 90 others during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to advance talks with the Centre on the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.

Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta chaired a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan, after which the restrictions were eased.

Officials said police parties on Saturday announced the relaxation in the curfew using the public address systems and, soon after, shops selling essential commodities were opened, witnessing a heavy rush.

People were also seen queuing outside ATM kiosks in good numbers as the police and CRPF personnel kept a vigil, they said, adding the relaxation period passed off peacefully in the old city areas.

Jamwal said Wangchuk is being probed for allegedly having links with Pakistan following last month's arrest of a Pakistani Intelligence Operative who sent videos of his protests across the border.

He described Wangchuk as the "main ring leader" behind Wednesday's violence.

On the participation of people in the funeral of four persons who lost their lives in Wednesday’s violence, the DGP said that all necessary arrangements have been made to help their relatives take part in their last rites.

“We do not want anyone to have any type of inconvenience during the funeral,” he said.

He said the job of the police is to maintain law and order and “we are involved in that”.

In a statement issued late Friday night, the Lt Governor-led administration justified the detention of Wangchuk, saying a series of alleged provocative speeches by him, with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring, resulted in Wednesday's violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured.

It said the detention of Wangchuk was "important to restore normalcy" in the peace-loving Leh town and also to prevent him from further acting in a manner "prejudicial to maintenance of public order".

"There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order," an official said.

The official said the patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence.

More than 50 persons were detained following the clashes, while strict restrictions under prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons also remained in force in other major towns of the Union Territory, including Kargil.

The Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Ladakh, in a statement late Friday night, said: "Time and again it has been observed that Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community."

It said that despite clear communication from the government regarding the meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and the offer of prior meetings before the HPC, Wangchuk, with his "ulterior motive", continued his hunger strike in the town from 10 September.

"His series of provocative speeches, references to Nepal agitations, Arab Spring, etc, and misleading videos resulted in the violent protests of 24 September in Leh, where institutions, buildings and vehicles were burnt down, and, in the aftermath, police personnel were attacked, leading to the unfortunate death of four individuals.

"The entire episode could have been avoided if he could have risen above his personal and political ambitions by calling off the hunger strike when the dialogue with the government was resumed on the same agenda," the statement alleged, referring to the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region.

The statement said it was important to restore normalcy in the peace-loving Leh town of Ladakh.

It said the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain Wangchuk under the NSA and move him to Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.