Indian security forces have imposed a curfew in Leh, the capital of the Himalayan region of Ladakh, after at least four people were killed in violent clashes between police and protesters demanding statehood for the federal territory.
Dozens were also injured, and an office of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set on fire during the unrest on Wednesday.
The government accused activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been leading protests, of inciting violence, a claim he denies.
A mountainous desert populated by a Muslim-Buddhist community, Ladakh lost its semi-autonomy in 2019 when the BJP government split it from the former Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, imposing direct rule.
The region is located between India, China, and Pakistan and has communities advocating for statehood and greater autonomy, particularly for job quotas.
The violence appeared to erupt from months of intermittent protests. In a statement, India's federal home ministry alleged that Wangchuk had incited violence through provocative statements.
Wangchuk has called off a hunger strike started on September 12 and urged for calm, asserting that violence only harms their cause. He emphasized that the frustration among local youth, many of whom have been unemployed for years, is what drove the protests.
On Wednesday, the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh initiated an investigation into the events, suggesting there were efforts to incite people and comparing protests in Ladakh to those in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Another meeting between protesters and officials is set to occur, amidst ongoing dialogue between the federal government and local leaders aimed at addressing demands for greater autonomy.
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