Rahul accuses PM Modi of betraying Ladakh, demands judicial probe into police firing deaths
New Delhi, Sept 30: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of betraying the people of Ladakh and demanding a judicial probe into the killing of four protesters, including a decorated Kargil War veteran, in police firing during a recent demonstration in the Union Territory.
The incident, which occurred on September 24, left four people dead and several others injured when protests seeking statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule turned violent. Among those killed was Tsewang Tharchin, a former soldier who had served at the Siachen Glacier and fought bravely in the 1999 Kargil War. His father, too, had served in the Indian Army.
Rahul Gandhi, who is currently on a four-nation tour of South America, shared a moving video of Tharchin’s grieving father on social media platform X, writing: “Father in the army, son in the army, patriotism runs in their blood. Yet the BJP government shot and killed this brave son of the nation simply because he stood up for Ladakh and his rights. His father’s pain-filled eyes ask one question, is this the reward for serving the nation today?”
Gandhi demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the killings and called for those responsible to face the harshest punishment. “Modi ji, you have betrayed the people of Ladakh. They are demanding their constitutional rights. Engage with them, stop the politics of fear and violence,” he said, condemning the government’s handling of the protests.
The Congress party also expressed outrage over the incident, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh highlighting Tharchin’s service and sacrifice for the nation. “It should be a matter of deepest anguish and outrage that a Kargil war veteran, peacefully protesting for Sixth Schedule status, was killed along with three others,” he said.
The protest, initially peaceful, escalated into clashes after demonstrators allegedly pelted stones at police and CRPF personnel and set a local BJP office ablaze. The unrest further intensified when prominent climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26 and transferred to Jodhpur Jail in Rajasthan.
