Curfew remains in force in Leh, patrolling intensified amid uneasy calm after Wangchuk’s arrest
Leh (PTI): Curfew remained in force for the fourth day in violence-hit Leh town of Ladakh on Saturday as police and paramilitary forces intensified patrolling and checking following the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) the previous day, officials said.
In a statement issued late Friday night, the Lt Governor-led administration justified the detention of Wangchuk and said his series of alleged provocative speeches, with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring, resulted in Wednesday's violence that left four persons dead and scores of others injured.
It said the detention of Wangchuk was "important to restore normalcy" in the peace-loving Leh town and also to prevent him from further acting in a manner "prejudicial to maintenance of public order".
"There was no untoward incident reported from anywhere in Ladakh during the past 24 hours. The restrictions are in place to maintain law and order," an official said.
He said Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta is shortly chairing a high-level security review meeting at Raj Bhavan, and any decision to relax curfew will be taken accordingly.
The official said the patrolling and checking by police and paramilitary forces in the sensitive areas have been intensified, while raids are also underway to nab the absconding rioters, including a councillor who allegedly instigated the violence.
More than 50 persons were detained following the clashes, while strict restrictions under prohibitory orders banning assembly of five or more persons also remained in force in other major towns of the Union Territory, including Kargil.
The Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), Ladakh, in a statement late Friday night, said: "Time and again it has been observed that Wangchuk has been indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state and detrimental to maintenance of peace and public order and services essential to the community."
It said that despite clear communication from the government regarding the meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) and the offer of prior meetings before the HPC, Wangchuk, with his "ulterior motive", continued his hunger strike in the town from 10 September.
"His series of provocative speeches, references to Nepal agitations, Arab Spring, etc, and misleading videos resulted in the violent protests of 24 September in Leh, where institutions, buildings and vehicles were burnt down, and, in the aftermath, police personnel were attacked, leading to the unfortunate death of four individuals.
"The entire episode could have been avoided if he could have risen above his personal and political ambitions by calling off the hunger strike when the dialogue with the government was resumed on the same agenda," the statement said, referring to the demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to the region.
The statement said it was important to restore normalcy in the peace-loving Leh town of Ladakh.
"To ensure this, it is also important to prevent Wangchuk from further acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. In the backdrop of his provocative speeches and videos, for the larger public interest, it was not advisable to keep him in Leh district," the statement said.
It said the administration, based on specific inputs, took a considered decision to detain Wangchuk under the NSA and move him to Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan.
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
