New Delhi: Leaders from Ladakh on Friday expressed anguish over the recent violence in Leh and questioned the legality of the police firing that killed four people and left several others injured.

They were speaking at a public discussion on “Ladakh Crisis: The Battle of Identity,” organised by the Ladakh Students Forum at the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union office.

The speakers included Leh Apex Body's (LAB) legal advisor Mustafa Haji, political activist and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) member Sajjad Kargili, and former MLA and KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai. LAB and KDA are spearheading the demand for statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

“We did not get a chance to process our grief,” said Haji, recalling the chaos at Leh's hospitals. “Doctors were ill-equipped to handle the situation. Some were forced to perform surgeries beyond their capabilities, and there were not enough vehicles to transfer the injured.”

On September 24, an initially peaceful protest during a shutdown called by the LAB youth wing turned violent. The protest was triggered after two of 15 fasting individuals supporting the statehood and Sixth Schedule demand were hospitalised following health deterioration.

Protesters clashed with police, pelted stones, and torched vehicles. Police opened fire, killing four people and injuring several others.

At the discussion, Haji questioned the legality of the firing, saying, “Even if the protesters turn aggressive, there are procedures the CRPF must follow. They shot four people with little remorse.”

Kargili, who visited Leh after the incident, called the hospital scenes “heartbreaking” and asked, “Where were the lapses that forced the security forces to open fire?”

The speakers condemned what they described as government apathy towards Ladakh's ongoing crisis.