Haneefa questioned the alleged failure to use non-lethal crowd control methods during the unrest. Photo: @Haneefa_Jan
Ladakh MP demands judicial probe into police firing during protest
Mohmad Haneefa demands a judicial probe into police firing that killed four during protests, dismisses Sonam Wangchuk’s role, warns Centre on delaying statehood talks
Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa on Friday (September 26) demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing during the violent protest on Wednesday. The MP asserted that the protest was an outburst of the pent-up frustration of the unemployed youth in the region.
He dismissed claims of any external conspiracy or involvement of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk in instigating the violence, adding that Wangchuk has always insisted on the path of peace. Wangchuk has been arrested during the day.
Alleges ‘targeted firing’
Describing the fatal violence that led to the death of four people as "very unfortunate”, the MP, however, admitted that protesters were wrong to attack the Hill Council and BJP offices. However, he strongly questioned the security forces' response.
"It is very unfortunate that four people from Ladakh lost their lives in this situation. Bullets were fired on them... There should be a judicial inquiry into the incident of firing, because this appeared to be a targeted firing," Haneefa told PTI in an interview.
‘Police action provoked youth’
Criticising the police over its use of force, Haneefa questioned the alleged failure to use non-lethal crowd control methods during the unrest.
"They targeted the youth; they could have fired in the air to disperse the crowd or fired towards the ground to contain the situation," he said, noting that the use of force by the police appeared to have further provoked the youth after an initial altercation.
The MP, who has raised the demand for a judicial probe with the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, called for a fair investigation into the day's events to ensure that "the innocent should not be made scapegoats" in the arrests that have followed.
"I think the frustration of the unemployed youths of Ladakh, who have felt frustrated for many years, came out," he added.
Warns Centre against delaying talks
The MP warned the Centre that the delay in talks on demands for Ladakh's statehood and inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution led to a feeling among the people that their aspirations were being ignored. He urged the government to immediately resume dialogue.
Haneefa condoled the loss of life, saying that the casualties included students and young people between the ages of 18 and 25. "These young people of Ladakh are our future," he said.
(With agency inputs)