Trouble brewing in India's strategic Ladakh region

Tensions mount amid demands for more autonomy and jobs

- Nirmala Ganapathy India Bureau Chief

Mr Stanzin Otsal, 48, a retired soldier who took part in the Sept 24 protest that turned violent, recovering in a hospital after getting shot in the leg. He said his injury "will not stop our demands to protect Ladakh".

LEH, India In Leh, the largest city of Ladakh a high-altitude border region bounded by Pakistan and China - the presence of the Indian military is unmissable, from shops selling military fatigues to army barracks and memorials to fallen soldiers.

A statue of Colonel Chewang Rinchen, a highly decorated Ladakhi officer who helped repel incursions into India from Pakistan in the 1940s, among other brave deeds, is just one among many memorials that stand as testament to the deep heritage of locals working with the Indian military to guard the country's contested borders.

But trouble is brewing, and for a change not along the contested border areas of this 60,000 sq km region. Tensions are bubbling within as demands grow louder for greater political representation, demographic protection for the local tribes and cultural safeguards and jobs for its youth.

Those tensions exploded on Sept 24, when a peaceful protest over these longstanding demands turned violent.

Four people, including a retired soldier, were killed as police opened fire, and more than 70 were injured in Leh, with dozens detained.

A charge of anti-nationalism, levelled by some sections of the media and commentators, further dispirited the close-knit community.

The crisis is more than just about a violent protest.

It throws up a key challenge for the government in a critical border frontier and heightens the urgency to address the demands of the people in Ladakh.