Tension in Leh as two cremated amid heavy security after police firing

Amid emotional scenes, the cremation of two of the four persons killed in police firing during the Leh violence on 24 September was carried out on Sunday under strict security arrangements.

Participation in the last rites was limited to close family members, while the town remained under curfew for the fifth consecutive day.

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Heavy deployment of Ladakh Police, ITBP, and CRPF was visible across the town and along the funeral procession route to prevent gatherings. Security was also tightened at the cremation site.

Earlier in the morning, Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta reviewed the security situation and emphasized vigilance, coordination, and public safety. Chief Secretary of Ladakh Dr. Pawan Kotwal, DGP S.D. Singh Jamwal, and senior officers of the CRPF, ITBP, and intelligence agencies attended the meeting.

Of the four killed in the police firing, three were in their early 20s and one was a Kargil War veteran. Post-mortem reports showed multiple bullet wounds to the chest and head, suggesting indiscriminate firing. A girl with a bullet wound to her lungs was airlifted to AIIMS, New Delhi, for urgent surgery. Most of the other 90 injured civilians also suffered bullet wounds.

The two cremated on Sunday were Jigmet Dorjay (25), from Kharnakling village, and Stanzin Namgyal (23), from Igoo village. The cremation of the other two victims is expected on Monday.

The four deceased belonged to different villages in Leh district, but their families insisted that they be cremated in Leh, where they lost their lives while demanding statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.

According to sources, Rinchen Dadul (20), from Hanu village and Tsewang Tharchin (46), from Skur Buchan village, will be cremated tomorrow.

Tharchin, a decorated ex-soldier of the Ladakh Scouts, fought in the 1999 Kargil War. He had followed his father’s footsteps by joining the Army in 1996 and was promoted to Havaldar in 2017.

His younger brother, Konchok Ishley, said Tharchin also served at the Siachen Glacier and had once survived an avalanche. “He bravely fought Pakistan during the Kargil War, but was killed by a police bullet after retiring from the Army,” he said.

Meanwhile, political leaders associated with the BJP have demanded an impartial judicial inquiry into the police firing.

The demand for the immediate release of environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and shifted to Jodhpur jail, has also intensified. Leaders of the Apex Body, spearheading the Ladakh agitation, alleged that the charges against Wangchuk were fabricated.