Leh, India, September 29: The bodies of two civilians killed during protests in Ladakh last week were cremated in Leh on Sunday under tight security and a fifth day of curfew, with only close relatives allowed to attend, officials said.
The victims, 25-year-old Jigmet Dorjay of Kharnakling village and 23-year-old Stanzin Namgyal of Igoo village, died on Sept. 24 when demonstrators demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards clashed with security forces.
Funeral prayers for two other victims, including 46-year-old Kargil War veteran Tsewang Tharchin of Skur Buchan village, are scheduled for Monday. At least four civilians have died and around 90 were injured in the clashes, while internet services remain suspended across Leh.
Authorities barricaded sensitive areas with barbed wire and extended the closure of all educational institutions until Sept. 28. Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta chaired a security review meeting with senior officials.
The unrest erupted during a three-week hunger strike led by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was later detained. Protesters accuse the government of failing to deliver on promises of Sixth Schedule protections and jobs, angering the same communities that once supported the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
Congress leader Tariq Hameed Karra blamed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the crisis, saying the unrest stemmed from youth frustration, unemployment and unkept pledges. Tashi Gyalson, the BJP’s Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, was denied permission to attend the cremations but demanded an inquiry into the violence and alleged excessive use of force.
Delegations from the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the Leh Apex Body are travelling to New Delhi on Monday for talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs ahead of a high-level committee meeting scheduled for Oct. 6.
