Responding to reports that at least four people were killed and more than 50 injured after police opened fire on protesters in Leh city in the Union Territory of Ladakh yesterday, Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair of Board, said:
“While there are reports that a group of people had become violent, the use of lethal ammunition cannot be justified – even to contain widespread violence. Any use of firearms in the context of an assembly must be an absolute last resort, limited to targeted individuals and only then if strictly necessary to confront an imminent threat of death or serious injury. The indiscriminate use of firearms against protesters is always unlawful.
“There must be an immediate investigation into how these firearms were deployed, why police used lethal force against protesters that were largely peaceful, and why other methods of crowd control were apparently not attempted first.
The indiscriminate use of firearms against protesters is always unlawful
Aakar Patel, Amnesty International India’s Chair of Board
“We call for the immediate de-escalation of tensions and urge the government to respect people’s rights while addressing this situation. People in Ladakh have the right to peacefully protest against the government and they must be able to exercise this right without fear of being shot.”
Background
Ladakh was established as a union territory of India on 31 October 2019, following the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act. Prior to that, it was part of the Jammu and Kashmir state.
The agitation in Ladakh has been ongoing since 2021, with protesters demanding statehood for the region and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which provides a system of autonomous self-governance for tribal areas.
Sonam Wangchuk has been leading the protests since January 2023. Addressing the media after the violence Wednesday, Sonam Wangchuk said thousands of protesters were sitting peacefully at the site of a hunger strike, holding prayers and listening to speeches, when “a big group of young people broke away and marched out raising slogans”. He said he heard later that some youths had attacked offices, police vehicles and the BJP office. According to the latest media reports, at least four people were killed and more than 50 injured as police opened fire against protesters.
