Ladakh violence: Congress demands judicial probe into killing of four youth
New Delhi/Leh (PTI): The Congress on Friday demanded a judicial probe into the killing of four youth during violent protests in Ladakh.
The four were killed in firing when the police tried to control violent protests for statehood in Ladakh on Wednesday.
In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "My colleague Nawang Rigzin Jora has written to the Lt Governor of Ladakh UT demanding a judicial enquiry into the killings of four young men in the protests on September 24th."
Protests for statehood turned violent in Leh town on Wednesday, leaving four people dead and 90 others injured.
At least 50 people have been detained so far in connection with the violence that broke out on Wednesday during the shutdown called by Leh Apex Body (LAB) to demand an extension of the Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh.
In a letter addressed to Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta, he said, "I am approaching you with a heavy heart and deep sorrow to demand a judicial enquiry into the unfortunate incident on September 24 leading to the death of four young men and injuries to others in police firing".
"While we condemn the violence resorted to by the protesters, we also condemn the harsh and repressive measures, including firing on the protesters, that was carried out. We strongly feel that the situation could have been handled with little more restraint, patience and maturity," Jora said in the letter.
Jora, a former minister, also challenged the government accusation that the party was behind inciting the people for the violence.
"There is a lot of blame game going around. Some of these are targeting the Congress councillor for leading the mob on the basis of a purported photograph. Nothing can be further from the truth. We challenge the administration on this count," the Congress Ladakh president said.
Similarly, he said another councillor is being blamed for inciting the protest on account of the press conference that he addressed on September 23 where he resorted to some "emotional rhetoric".
"This was understandable, as two of the people who were on hunger strike for the last 14 days had to be evacuated to the hospital in critical conditions, were from his constituency," he said.
In the interest of justice and fair play, he said "we implore you to kindly conduct a judicial enquiry into the unfortunate incidents of September 24."
Congress leader and head of media and publicity department Pawan Khera slammed several leaders of the BJP and some anchors/social media influencers for allegedly showing a picture and footage of someone, and misrepresenting him as the elected councillor of Congress Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag.
"We are proceeding with legal recourse and criminal proceedings against all those who have not just attempted to defame our party but have also tried to cause social unrest to fuel further dissensions," he said.
"Instead of sensitively engaging with the betrayed people of Ladakh, the BJP and their media/social media minions are engaging in their usual mudslinging and looking for an opportunity to milk the outrage of Ladakh and settle scores with political opponents," Khera alleged in a post on X.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
