Ladakh talks resume, Centre offers special provisions under Article 371: Report

The Union government on Wednesday said that special provisions under Article 371 of the Constitution can be considered for Ladakh, the Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance told The Hindu after a meeting with home ministry officials.

The two civil society coalitions have been leading the movement seeking constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.

They resumed talks with the Union home ministry on Wednesday, nearly a month after four persons were killed in police firing during protests seeking constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.

Article 371 deals with “temporary, transitional and special provisions” and allows decentralised governance, with a degree of administrative autonomy. It is applicable in 12 states: Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Telangana.

“It was indicated to us by MHA officials that Article 371 can be considered for Ladakh, but we were adamant on inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and statehood,” Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-convenor of the Apex Body Leh, told The Hindu.

He added that although no assurances were given, ministry officials told them that they would “come back to us soon”.

Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance also confirmed this to the newspaper.

Lakruk told The Hindu that the Apex Body Leh continued to demand that activist Sonam Wangchuk and 20 others detained after the violence be released.

Wangchuk was arrested under...

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