Despite Wednesday's unprecedented violence in Leh, the next round of dialogue between Ladakh's agitating groups and the Ministry of Home Affairs will be held next month.
While the Ladakh administration has launched an aggressive campaign to identify those involved in Wednesday's arson and violence, the Ministry of Home Affairs has simultaneously initiated talks with the agitating groups.
After the violent protests in Leh on Wednesday, a meeting was held between members of the Apex Committee and representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), who reached Leh on Thursday.
The meeting decided that a preparatory round with the Home Ministry would take place in New Delhi on September 27 or 28, subject to confirmation of the date by the MHA. The meeting will be attended by three representatives, each from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), along with the Ladakh MP.
Co-chairperson of the LAB, Chering Dorjay, told International Business Times that, as of now, there is no change in the schedule of the meeting to be held in New Delhi on October 6.
Following Thursday's preparatory discussions, another meeting will be held within a day or two to finalize arrangements for the High-Powered Committee meeting on October 6.
"The preparatory meeting shall be followed by an immediate official meeting of the Home Ministry with the High-Powered Committee, comprising seven members each from the LAB and the KDA, on a four-point agenda," a joint statement issued late this evening by LAB leaders Thupstan Chhewang and Chering Dorjay said.
While the statement did not specify the four-point agenda, statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh remain the key demands, in addition to two parliamentary seats for the Union Territory instead of one.
Earlier, the bodies of four civilians killed in police and paramilitary firing during Wednesday's violence in Leh were handed over to their families.
The deceased have been identified as Tsewang Tharchin, 46, a resident of Skurbuchan and a retired soldier of the Ladakh Scouts Regiment; Stanzin Namgayal, 24, of Igoo; Jigmet Dorjay of Kharnakling; and Rinchen Dadul, 21, of Hanu.
Officials said a total of 90 people were injured, seven of them critically and 20 suffering major trauma. One of the critically injured was airlifted to New Delhi by an Air Force aircraft on Thursday. By the evening, 18 people remained admitted in hospitals, including seven who had undergone major surgeries.
Centre invites agitating groups for dialogue on October 6
As reported earlier, within days of veteran leader Thupstan Chhewang announcing that he would lead the Leh Apex Body, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on September 21 decided to resume the stalled dialogue by inviting Ladakh's agitating groups for the next round of talks on October 6.
According to the invitation sent to Ladakhi leaders, the meeting of the High-Powered Committee on Ladakh will be held on October 6, 2025, at 11 a.m. in the Conference Hall, 5th Floor, Kartavya Bhawan, New Delhi.
The last meeting of the High-Powered Committee with Ladakh's agitating groups was held on May 27 in New Delhi, during which issues related to reservations and domicile were resolved. The upcoming talks are being convened after a gap of more than four months.
For the past several months, the agitating groups have been pressing for the resumption of dialogue to resolve the remaining issues.
The LAB and KDA, a coalition of political, social, trade, and religious groups from Leh and Kargil, have demanded that statehood and Sixth Schedule status be included in the October 6 talks.
The two bodies have since organized a series of protests and sit-ins in Ladakh, Jammu, and Delhi to press the Centre to fulfill their four-point agenda: statehood with legislature, Sixth Schedule status, a separate Public Service Commission, and two Lok Sabha seats for Ladakh.
