New Delhi, Oct 4: A demand for a judicial inquiry into the September 24 firing incident in Leh has gained momentum, with Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader Sajjad Kargili insisting that a magisterial probe is insufficient to ensure accountability of the Union Territory administration. Speaking at a public event in New Delhi during the release of a “fact-finding report” on Ladakh by the Socialist Party of India, NAPM, and Hum Bharat Ke Log, Kargili said that only a judicial probe could impartially uncover the truth and deliver justice to the victims and their families.
Kargili, who has been at the forefront of Ladakh’s ongoing agitation, argued that a magistrate lacks the powers needed to hold the administration responsible for the use of force that left four people dead and dozens injured during clashes triggered by a shutdown call from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) youth. He asserted that the UT governance model has failed to deliver justice or protect citizens’ rights. “We have conveyed to the Ministry of Home Affairs that a judicial inquiry is the minimum requirement. A magistrate cannot hold the administration accountable, we demand an impartial judicial probe,” he said, adding that KDA and LAB will boycott the October 6 talks with the Centre unless this demand is met and all detainees, including environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, are released.
Kargili also expressed deep resentment over what he described as the “labeling” of Ladakh’s protesters, which he said had created a profound sense of betrayal. Drawing parallels with prolonged unrests in Kashmir and Manipur, he warned against dismissing people’s voices and called for accountability over the firing. “This kind of treatment should never have been extended to Ladakh,” he said.
The event saw several prominent figures, including former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, activist Radha Kumar, and Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Chowdhury, voicing support for Ladakh’s demand for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Habibullah termed the loss of lives “shameful” and stressed that the government must engage meaningfully with Ladakh’s aspirations. “Their demands are not extreme,they want safeguards for their land, culture, and identity. Such steps were unnecessary; the government must listen,” he said.
The fact-finding report released at the event reiterated the four key demands of the ongoing movement: Sixth Schedule status, statehood, job and land safeguards, and protection of Ladakh’s fragile ecology. It emphasized that these demands are not political bargaining tools but non-negotiable prerequisites for Ladakh’s survival as a distinct cultural and ecological entity. The report accused the current administrative setup of operating in a “colonial style,” with bureaucrats appointed from Delhi undermining local self-governance and agency. It further alleged that the revocation of Article 370 has exposed Ladakh’s natural resources from glaciers and water bodies to rich mineral reserves to unchecked exploitation by external interests.
It also criticized the BJP for backtracking on its promise to push for Sixth Schedule status, calling it “a profound act of political duplicity” that has left Ladakhis “cheated and abandoned.” Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Chowdhury pledged opposition support and said the issue would be raised in Parliament.
The agitation in Ladakh continues to intensify, with the KDA and LAB maintaining that the future course of their movement will depend on the government’s response to their demands and the nature of the probe into the September 24 violence.