Ladakh BJP echoes LAB, KDA demand for judicial probe into September 24 violence in Leh

As the agitating groups in Ladakh rejected the magisterial probe announced by the Union Territory administration, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also echoed the voices of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), urging that responsibility be fixed for the September 24 violence.

Chairman-cum-Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, Tashi Gyalson, said that there is an urgent need to restore the confidence of the people, which was badly shaken after the September 24 incident.

Gyalson, a senior BJP leader who heads the BJP-controlled LAHDC, said, "We support the demand for a fair and transparent inquiry to fix responsibility on those who were responsible for the September 24 incident in which four innocent and unarmed civilians lost their lives in the firing."

He told The International Business Times that the LAHDC, Leh, has already written to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, requesting a fair inquiry into the incident to help restore public trust.

Gyalson stressed that the inquiry must also examine whether the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was followed before security personnel opened fire on unarmed civilians.

"Everyone, not only in Ladakh but across the country, is sad and shocked over the September 24 incident in which four people lost their lives," he said, adding, "What happened that day was unfortunate and unprecedented in the history of Ladakh."

"Although the Union Territory administration has announced a magisterial probe, the authorities must order a judicial inquiry, as demanded by the LAB and KDA," he emphasized, adding that "talks and the probe should go hand in hand to establish lasting and sustainable peace in Ladakh."

It is important to mention that both the LAB and KDA have rejected the magisterial probe, reiterating their demand for a judicial inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge.

'No one is more patriotic than the people of Ladakh'

Expressing anguish over the anti-national narrative being peddled by some elements after the September 24 incident, Gyalson said that no one in the country is more patriotic than the people of Ladakh, who act as the second line of defence—with Pakistan on one side and China on the other.

"The Government of India is well aware of the patriotism of the people of Ladakh, and the Centre acknowledged it by granting Union Territory status to the region," he said. "Fulfilling the long-pending demand of the people for UT status was a gesture by the Centre to honour their nationalism and patriotism."

He recalled that the people of Ladakh have faced several wars and, during the 1999 Kargil conflict, played a crucial role in ensuring the supply of arms and ammunition to Indian forces.

The LAHDC, Leh, has already announced compensation of ₹10 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives during the September 24 firing. The Council is also holding discussions with the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) to create permanent memorials in honour of the victims.