4-Hour Curfew Relaxation Announced in Leh

4-Hour Curfew Relaxation Announced in Leh

Authorities announced that the week-long curfew in Leh town will be relaxed for four hours from 10 am on Tuesday and directed shopkeepers to open their establishments, officials said.

The restrictions were relaxed for two hours from 4 pm on Monday, shortly after the completion of the last rites of four people who lost their lives in the widespread clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies on September 24.

A police official said a decision to further extend the relaxation in curfew-bound areas will be taken depending on the emerging situation as the day advances.

The Additional District Magistrate in Leh, Ghulam Mohammed, ordered the opening of all groceries, essential services, hardware and vegetable shops during the relaxation period.

“Barring the violence last Wednesday, there was no untoward incident reported from anywhere. Police and paramilitary forces are deployed in strength in the sensitive areas and are maintaining strict vigil to maintain law and order,” the official said.

Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta has been chairing high-level security review meetings almost on a daily basis. On Monday, he appealed to the people to maintain peace, calling it “the cornerstone of development”.

The officials said mobile internet services continued to be suspended in Leh town, and prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons are still in force in other major parts of the Union Territory, including Kargil.

A curfew was imposed in Leh town on the evening of September 24 following violent protests during a shutdown called by a constituent of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) to advance talks with the Centre on the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.

More than 60 people, including two councillors, were taken into custody following the incident. This included climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was detained under the National Security Act on September 26 and subsequently lodged at Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by VoM News staff and is published from the syndicated feed)