Arteev Sharma

Jammu: The delay in releasing the Judicial Inquiry Commission report into the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh, which claimed four lives, has now taken centre stage in Ladakh, with the issue coming to the forefront of political and public discourse across the Union Territory.

The issue has gained renewed focus against the backdrop of the Ladakh administration’s decision to conduct Panchayat, Municipal and Hill Council elections within a span of just one-and-a-half months during the harsh winter season.

The controversy escalated after a 17-year-old boy from Leh, whose father was among the four civilians killed in the September 24 violence, uploaded a video on YouTube on November 8, threatening to immolate himself outside the BJP office in Leh if justice was not delivered to the victims’ families. The boy’s father, Havaldar Tharchin, was a Kargil War veteran. The teenager and his mother have reportedly gone untraceable, prompting the police to appeal to the public to share information about their whereabouts. The boy’s family has expressed ignorance about their location while accusing the police of harassing them.

Sources said the teenager had participated in the fresh agitation launched by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and was present at the protest site in NDS Memorial Park when the local administration approached the protesters to arrange a medical consultation for him following the circulation of his video. The LAB subsequently handed over the boy to his mother. However, both have reportedly remained untraceable since Friday, sources said.

By Saturday evening, it snowballed into a major controversy after climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who continues to remain under restrictions in Leh, criticised the UT administration over the delay in releasing the judicial inquiry report.

In a video titled ‘When a Kargil War Hero Gets a Dog’s Death… Will the Nation Stand with His Family?’, uploaded on X, Wangchuk alleged that the administration was “chasing” the teenager for demanding the release of the inquiry report.

He slammed the UT administration for moving at snail’s pace with the Judicial Commission Inquiry report. “In a shocking incident the UT Administration has been chasing a 17 year old boy MIPHAM, to put him in a mental asylum… for demanding the release of the Judicial Inquiry Commission Report of September 24th Incident in Leh last year. His father Kargil War Hero HavaldarTharchin was killed brutally last year”, he said.

“Govt is moving at snails pace with this Inquiry Report but with rocket speed to hold rigged elections in mid- winter of Hill Councils in 8 districts. This way they can get their own puppet leaders to hold talks on (non-)restoration of democracy in Ladakh…Please share widely to support Ladakh. Support Mipham,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook, who was observing a 24-hour hunger strike at NDS Memorial Park in Leh, reiterated the demand for the immediate release of the judicial inquiry report into the September 24, 2025 violence.

His other demands include resumption of talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) over constitutional safeguards and statehood for Ladakh, deferment of Hill Council elections and withdrawal of the new liquor policy.

In a notice, the Ladakh Police said the 17-year-old had threatened self-immolation through his YouTube channel. Referring to a medical assessment conducted on November 13 at NDS Memorial Park, where the LAB protest is underway, the police said the boy appeared to be experiencing distress and required a comprehensive medical examination at a hospital. The police appealed to the public to share any information about his whereabouts with the UT administration and the police.

The notice stated that the administration’s objective was to ensure that the teenager received appropriate counselling through the Child Welfare Committee and was protected from possible misuse or exploitation. It also assured the family that all necessary assistance would be provided.

In a recent video uploaded in Hindi, the boy said a “great injustice” had been committed in September last year when his father was killed. “My father was a man who had also fought in the Kargil War in 1999,” he said, adding that the family had still not received the report of the judicial inquiry.

“What happened? Who did it? Who gave the orders? Who fired the bullets? We have no answers to any of these questions,” he said. “We must get justice. My father gave his life for a purpose. For what purpose did he sacrifice his life? He had laid down his life for safeguards, which are extremely important for Ladakh,” he said.

“We want justice! We want justice! We want safeguards! We want safeguards,” he added in the video uploaded on November 12.

In another video, uploaded on November 8, the boy, speaking in his native language, had threatened to immolate himself outside the BJP office if justice was not delivered in the case.

UT Admin wants to ‘rig’ Council elections through ‘vote chori’: LAB  

Lakrook claims ‘Gen Z, 25% voters to be deprived of voting’

Jammu: Continuing their agitation against the proposed election schedule in Ladakh, leaders of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and around 40 activists belonging to various social and apolitical groups observed a 24-hour-long hunger strike at NDS Park in Leh on Saturday.

The protest was led by LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook, with more than 300 people from different parts of Leh district gathering at the protest site to express solidarity with the ongoing movement.

Demanding immediate deferment of the Hill Council elections, Lakrook alleged that the authorities were making concerted efforts to manipulate the electoral process through what he termed as “vote chori”.

Talking to The News Now, the LAB chairman questioned the decision to conduct elections during the harsh winter months, alleging that the authorities were relying on outdated electoral rolls to push through the electoral exercise.

“Their objective behind holding elections in winter is to rig the polls through vote chori. They are using old electoral rolls which were updated eight years ago. The Gen Z population that has attained voting age during these eight years will be deprived of their democratic right as their names have not been included in the electoral rolls,” he alleged.

Lakrook further claimed that nearly 25 per cent of the electorate was currently outside Ladakh due to harsh winter conditions, raising questions about the participation of voters in the proposed elections.

“It is quite strange how the authorities intend to conduct elections without the participation of such a large section of the population,” he said, reiterating the LAB’s demand for deferment of the polls.