Kargil political body to hold rally over Ladakh demands, Leh violence on Sept 20
The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has announced a major protest rally in Kargil on September 20, stepping up its agitation over Ladakh’s political demands and seeking justice for the four people killed in police firing during last year’s violence in Leh. The alliance also accused the Centre of failing to show adequate seriousness in talks on a proposed governance framework for the Union Territory.
Announcing the rally on Tuesday, KDA leaders said the programme would highlight what they described as the lack of substantive progress in negotiations with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The latest round of talks, held in Delhi on September 9, was termed "unproductive" by the KDA and the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which have jointly pursued Ladakh’s demands since 2021.
KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai said the delegation had expected the MHA to present a concrete draft outlining the proposed UT-level legislative, administrative and financial structure.
Instead, he said, the groups were again asked to respond to questions without being given a draft to examine.
"At that meeting, no new or inclusive proposal was presented. The same things that happened in the subcommittee meeting on May 22 were repeated," Karbalai said at a press conference.
He said the absence of a draft had raised concerns about the direction of the dialogue and suggested that future meetings could be fully recorded and live-streamed to prevent conflicting accounts of discussions.
The KDA has also objected to the compensation announced by the Lieutenant Governor for those killed or injured during the September 24 violence in Leh.
Karbalai described the announced amounts as inadequate and sought substantially higher compensation, including Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore for the families of those killed, Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore for critically injured persons and Rs 30 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for those who suffered minor injuries.
The alliance further demanded the immediate and complete withdrawal of cases registered against people arrested following the violence, rejecting any proposal for withdrawing them in phases.
The September 20 rally will also commemorate the four people who died in the police firing.
Karbalai described September 24 as a "black day" for Ladakh and reiterated the groups’ demand for accountability and justice.
The KDA and LAB have been campaigning for statehood, extension of Sixth Schedule protections and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh’s land, culture, identity, resources and employment.
Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019, and the two groups have since held several rounds of discussions with the Centre.
The groups have also insisted that major decisions concerning land, resources and administration should be kept on hold until an agreed UT-level governance framework is finalised through the appropriate constitutional and parliamentary process.
KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili said the movement was not aimed at advancing the interests of any particular community or political party, but was intended to protect the future of the entire region.
With the September 20 rally, the alliance is now preparing to intensify public mobilisation unless it sees tangible progress in the dialogue with the Centre.- EndsWith PTI inputsPublished By: Vivek Published On: Sep 15, 2026 19:57 IST
