Judicial Probe into September 24 Leh Violence to Begin on Saturday

PTI, Leh/Jammu, Oct 24, 2025 :  The judicial inquiry into the violent clashes of September 24 in Leh will begin on Saturday, inviting aggrieved persons to record their testimonies before members of the probe panel.

On October 17, the Centre moved to address a key demand of protesting Ladakh groups by announcing a judicial inquiry, which will be headed by a retired Supreme Court judge, into the Leh clashes. The violence led to the tragic deaths of four individuals, including a 1999 Kargil war veteran.

"The judicial inquiry regarding the September 24 incident in Leh town will be held at the Alternate Dispute Redressal Centre at Melongthang in Leh from October 25 to October 28," said an order issued by Consultant, Law and Justice Department, Qureshi Tariq Mehmood, on Friday.

He further stated that necessary arrangements for conducting the inquiry are to be made on a priority basis.

The order also invited interested and aggrieved persons to record their testimonies before the judicial panel.

The clashes, which occurred between security forces and protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for the Union Territory, left four civilians dead and 90 others injured, escalating a months-long agitation.

According to a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the judicial probe, headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan, a former judge of the Supreme Court, is tasked with investigating the "circumstances leading to the serious law and order situation, the police action, and the resultant unfortunate deaths of four people."

Retired district and sessions judge Mohan Singh Parihar will serve as the Judicial Secretary, while IAS officer Tushar Anand will function as the Administrative Secretary of the inquiry commission.

In a sign of thawing relations, Ladakh leaders met with Home Ministry representatives in Delhi on Wednesday for sub-committee-level talks. During the meeting, Ladakh representatives demanded the immediate release of all arrested leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuck, the widely recognized face of the agitation.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have also demanded adequate compensation for the families of those killed.

Wangchuck, arrested under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), is currently lodged in Jodhpur jail. The NSA empowers the Centre and states to detain individuals to prevent them from acting in a manner "prejudicial to the defence of India." The maximum detention period under the NSA is 12 months, although it can be revoked earlier.