‘Peaceful agitation to continue’
Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Apr 6: The Leh Apex Body (LAB) today said it is withdrawing the proposed ‘Pashmina March’ to Changthang in Eastern Ladakh to avoid any sort of confrontation with the law-enforcement agencies.
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The march was scheduled for tomorrow as part of the agitation.
Addressing a press conference here, LAB leaders, including its co-chairman Chering Dorjay and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, said they have already achieved their objective of creating awareness among the people of the country about the plight of farmers, who are allegedly losing prime pasture land to huge industrial plants in the south and to “Chinese encroachments” in the north.
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The LAB, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), is spearheading an agitation to demand Statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The LAB leaders said they will continue with their struggle in a peaceful manner through chain hunger strikes and protests.
“Looking at the prevailing situation (in Leh), this Government acts like a mad elephant having no care for national security or people’s sentiments and their problems. Its only concern is winning elections and it can stop people from marching even at the cost of using violence.
“We are concerned about national security and the peaceful atmosphere. Secondly, our aim to generate awareness in the country about the ground situation in Ladakh has been achieved, so we are withdrawing the proposed border march in the interest of people and to avoid confrontation with the law-enforcement agencies,” Wangchuk told reporters.
The LAB had announced the “border (Pashmina) march” to Changthang, near the China border, to highlight the condition of grazers.
In a move apparently aimed at countering the march, Leh District Magistrate (DM) Santosh Sukhadeve yesterday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and directed that no procession, rally or march should be taken out without his prior approval.
Wangchuk said they were expecting the Government to stop the march as “there are many things to keep under the wraps. The restriction ahead of the border march is an overreaction”.
He said the deployment of police and paramilitary forces with full riot gear, calling volunteers to police stations and threatening them, besides causing inconvenience to people after turning Leh into a “war zone” show that there are chances of a clash under a well thought out conspiracy to sabotage the agitation of Ladakhis for their democratic rights.
Wangchuk, who held a hunger strike for 21 days till March 26, said they strongly believe in peace and peaceful ways to highlight their demands, including those connected with the prevailing conditions of the Pashmina grazers.
The LAB demanded immediate withdrawal of the prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services to normal speed to avoid any inconvenience to people, especially patients, tourists and students.
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