Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi demanded a judicial probe into the killing of four civilians including an ex-serviceman in Leh during the statehood violence of last week.
“The father a serviceman, the son also a serviceman, patriotism runs in their blood. Yet, the BJP government fired bullets at the brave son and killed him because he stood for the rights of Ladakh and his own,” Rahul, currently on a tour of South America, wrote on his X. “The grieving father’s eyes have just one question- is this the reward of serving the country?”
“We demand an impartial judicial probe into these killings and those guilty should be given stringent punishment. Modi ji, you have betrayed the people of Ladakh. They are asking for their rights. Talk to them and stop this politics of violence and fear,” Rahul wrote.
The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also shared a video of the father Tsering Namgyal, a former soldier, whose 46-year old son Tsewang Tharchim, was among the four killed allegedly by members of the Ladakh Police and the CRPF.
“If the SSP or the DC’s sons were killed, how would they have felt? They think it is easy to kill the son of a poor man. Could they have tolerated if their children were killed? They could not,” said Namgyal. “I was in the service for 32 years and I was posted in every difficult terrain.”
S.D. Singh Jamwal, the Ladakh police chief, had claimed on Saturday the forces had fired in self-defence as a 5,000-6,000-strong mob was advancing towards them at the Leh Hill Development Council office and they were threatened.
The other three killed in the alleged firing by security forces are Jigmet Dorjay, 25, Stanzin Namgyal, 23 and Rinchen Dadul, 20.
After the violence activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike when violence broke out, was booked under the National Security Act and reportedly taken to Jodhpur.
Tharchin was among the Leh residents who were on a hunger strike in Leh demanding Sixth Schedule for the region.