SRINAGAR, India (Web Desk) — The remote Himalayan region of Ladakh descended into turmoil on Wednesday as furious demonstrators demanding full statehood and greater autonomy locked horns with Indian security forces, leaving dozens wounded, some critically.
Chaos broke out in Leh when hundreds of protesters, defying police restrictions, tried to march through the town. Stones were hurled at officers, a paramilitary vehicle was torched, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s local office went up in flames, according to police.
Security forces hit back with tear gas and baton charges, fueling mayhem in the streets. Authorities later imposed an emergency ban on gatherings of more than five people in the district.
The unrest is the latest flashpoint in Ladakh’s swelling movement for political rights, five years after New Delhi stripped the region of its semi-autonomous status and split it from Jammu and Kashmir.
Wednesday’s violence was triggered when two hunger strikers collapsed while campaigning for constitutional guarantees over land and agriculture rights.
Talks between Ladakhi leaders and the Indian government have repeatedly stalled, with another round now slated for October 6.
Ladakh, caught between India, Pakistan and China, is not only scarred by territorial tensions but also battered by climate change. Melting glaciers, shifting weather patterns, floods, and droughts have disrupted lives, raising fears over the water security of millions. Militarization and the ongoing India-China standoff have only deepened the crisis, locals say.
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