Leh violence: Magisterial inquiry ordered into September 24 incident
Kargil, Oct 2: The Union Territory administration of Ladakh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the serious law-and-order situation that erupted in Leh on September 24 and the police action which led to the death of four individuals.
According to an official order issued by the District Magistrate, Leh, senior IAS officer and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nubra, Mukul Beniwal (IAS), has been designated as the inquiry officer to conduct the probe.
The inquiry will ascertain the detailed facts and circumstances that led to the clashes, the subsequent police action and the deaths of four civilians. The deceased have been identified as Jigmet Dorjey, son of Yountan Chospel, resident of Kharnak; Rinchen Dadul, son of Tsering Morup, resident of Hanu; Stanzin Namgail, son of Nawang Zotpa, resident of Igoo; and Tsewang Tharchin, son of Stanzin Namgyal, resident of Skurbuchan.
The inquiry officer has been tasked with submitting a comprehensive report within four weeks. To ensure transparency, the officer has invited any person having information about the incident to present oral or written statements or provide material evidence such as photographs or video recordings.
“For this purpose, hearings will be conducted from October 4 to October 18, between 10 am and 5 pm, at the DC Office Conference Hall, Leh, and also at the office of the inquiry officer. Citizens willing to depose have been asked to appear during this period,” the order read.
The administration has appealed to the general public to extend cooperation in the matter, stressing that a fair and transparent inquiry is in the interest of justice.
LAB rejects magisterial probe
However, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) spearheading the agitation in demand of its four-point agenda including statehood and 6th schedule on Thursday rejected the magisterial probe ordered by the UT administration to inquire into the September 24 law and order situation in the town.
The LAB has insisted that only a high-level judicial probe can establish the responsibility for the deaths of civilians in the firing on September 24.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey has dismissed the inquiry led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Nubra. “We have maintained from day one that there should be a judicial inquiry into the killings of Ladakhi people. We want to know who ordered the firing on civilians without any warning. We don’t accept the magisterial inquiry and we reject it,” Dorjey told Greater Kashmir over phone.
He also rejected the possibility of any talks with the central government unless, what he called, “the core demands of the LAB are accepted.”
26 get bail in Sep 24 violence case
In a related development, a court in Leh has granted interim bail to 26 individuals who were arrested in connection with the September 24 violence that left four civilians dead following police firing during protests demanding Sixth Schedule status and statehood for Ladakh. Sources said that there are still 30 people detained by police who are awaiting release. Court sources said that the next hearing for the 26 bailed-out individuals has been listed for October 4.
Meanwhile, life bounced back almost to normalcy on Thursday as the markets remained open for a full day and people were seen thronging markets and resumed daily routine work.
Reopening of Shops, Schools and plying of Passenger Vehicles within Leh district
Significantly, the district administration Leh has eased the restrictions in Leh district following clampdown of curfew on September 24.
The authorities have ordered the reopening of schools in Leh district from Friday besides public transport has been also allowed to ply within Leh district.
“In continuation of office order issued on September 30, 2025, it is hereby ordered that all shops and schools up to class 8th within Leh district shall remain open, and small buses (public transport) shall be permitted to ply within Leh district on 03.10.2025 (Friday) between 10:00 am and 06:00 pm, subject to strict adherence to the restrictions laid down under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS 2023)” an order issued by the District Magistrate, Leh said.
Meanwhile, Ladakh Buddhist Association and Ladakh Gonpa Association held joint prayer sessions wherein they passed a resolution seeking judicial inquiry into the September 24 incident, compensation to the martyrs, immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk and all other detainees.
To commemorate the 156 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation in India which is also celebrated as the International Day of Non Violence, declared by the United Nations in 2007 and to pay tribute to his ideals of non-violence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya) and peaceful resistance(Satyagraha) and also pay tribute to the four martyrs who were killed in the police firing of September, 24, 2025 while raising the genuine demands of Ladakh for statehood, inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Indian constitution among others; a joint prayer meeting of the executive members of the Ladakh Buddhist Association and All Ladakh Gonpa Association was held on October, 02, 2025 (Thursday).
The participants prayed for the swift rebirth of the martyrs in the higher realm (Devachan) and for the swift recovery of the injured persons who are currently under treatment.
After the prayers, the members unanimously passed a resolution demanding an Impartial judicial inquiry by a retired judge into the excessive use of force and indiscriminate firing by the Ladakh Police and paramilitary forces on September, 24, 2025 in which four Ladakhi Buddhist youths were killed and score of others were injured, many of them seriously and to hold the guilty accountable.
The resolution also sought adequate compensation by the administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh for the dependents of those martyred and critically injured.
It also demanded Immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk, climate activist, educationist, innovator and environmentalist from detention besides Immediate release of all other innocent persons, who were allegedly “arbitrarily arrested or detained by the Ladakh Police on flimsy grounds” following the unfortunate incident of September 24, 2025 at Leh and also stop further witch hunting and harassing of the innocent local youths in order to restore normalcy in Ladakh.
