Srinagar, Oct 15: The Ladakh administration has released seven individuals, including Congress councillor Stanzin Tsepag, who were detained following the violent protests in Leh on September 24.

According to Leh Bar Association President Mohd Shafi Lassu, all seven persons arrested in connection with the clashes were granted bail yesterday. Those released included Congress councillor Tsepag, the woman president of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), the youth president of Anjuman-e-Moin-ul-Islam, and several members of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA). Tsepag’s detention had sparked controversy after a photo of a masked man wielding a stick went viral on social media in the aftermath of the violence. The BJP alleged that the individual in the image was Tsepag, a claim the Congress leader has strongly denied.

Sajad Kargili, leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance said, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh, Councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, “falsely implicated” in the recent Leh violence, has been granted bail.

“This exposes the baseless propaganda and fake narratives spread by certain media outlets and political leaders. It is now evident that these arrests were part of a larger attempt to malign Ladakh’s peaceful democratic movement. We reiterate our demand for the immediate release of all detained leaders, including Sonam Wangchuk and activists fighting for Statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards,” Kargili said.

Lassu said that so far, around 50 people have been granted bail out of the more than 70 arrested by Ladakh Police following the incident, which left four people dead, including Tsewang Tharchin, an Army soldier who fought in the 1999 Kargil War.

Meanwhile, the LAB and KDA, the two key groups spearheading Ladakh’s movement for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, have announced plans for a two-hour peaceful silent march followed by an evening blackout across the union Territory. The date for the protest has, however, not been fixed.

The fresh protest call comes amid a deadlock in talks between the Centre and Ladakh leaders over their long-pending demands. The groups have also sought a judicial probe into the September 24 incident, during which climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent voice of the movement, was detained under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).–(UNI)