Leh: The Apex Youth and Religious Youth bodies on Monday announced a complete shutdown in Leh on Tuesday in support of the ongoing agitation for Ladakh’s key demands.
Addressing a joint press conference, the groups said that if no positive response comes by tomorrow, the protest may escalate into street demonstrations.
The leaders maintained they were not concerned about FIRs and urged youth associations in villages to ensure closure of shops across Leh. People have also been requested to gather at the NDS Memorial.
Meanwhile, two elderly participants of the hunger strike, now on its 14th day, were admitted to SNM Hospital with health complications.
Youth and women leaders from religious organisations and the Apex Body visited them at the hospital to enquire about their condition.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has scheduled a fresh round of talks with Ladakhi leaders on October 6.
The meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC), constituted for the Union Territory of Ladakh and headed by the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, will bring together officials from the MHA along with representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and the Leh Apex Body (LAB)—an umbrella group of religious, social, political, trade, and student organisations from both districts.
The meeting is slated for 11 am at the Conference Hall, Kartavya Bhavan-3, MHA, New Delhi.
The the last round of talks was held on May 27, when Ladakh leaders met the Centre and secured key assurances, including a domicile law with a 15-year cap from August 5, 2019.
Subsequently, the Centre also agreed to job reservations, with President Droupadi Murmu promulgating the Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025, on June 3—reserving 85 per cent of jobs for locals in the Union Territory. The President also approved amendments to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) Act to reserve one-third of seats for women in both Leh and Kargil Hill Councils.
