Leh: Ladakh Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta on Friday reviewed the security situation in the Union Territory as all schools up to class 8 reopened in violence-hit Leh after a nine-day closure, officials said.
Most restrictions in the town have gradually been eased following an improvement in the overall situation, except for prohibitory orders banning assemblies of five or more persons and the continued suspension of mobile internet services.
“Lt Governor chaired a high-level security review meeting today (Friday) to assess the prevailing law and order and overall security scenario in the Union Territory,” his office said in a post on X. Officials added that Gupta convened the meeting in Leh shortly after returning from Jammu, where he had attended a religious event the previous day.
A curfew was imposed in Leh town on September 24 after widespread violence left four people dead and many others injured. It was first partially relaxed for two hours in two separate areas on September 27, and again for two hours on September 29 following the cremation of the victims. The curfew was then relaxed for seven hours from 10 a.m. on September 30 and extended by an additional hour on October 1. The situation remained largely peaceful, prompting authorities to allow a full-day relaxation.
Despite this, mobile internet services remain suspended throughout the district, and prohibitory orders against gatherings of five or more people continue to be enforced across Ladakh.
Officials said that 26 of over 50 people detained after the violence were granted bail and released on Thursday.
Meanwhile, lawyers associated with the Kargil Bar Association stayed away from all judicial work for the third consecutive day on Friday, in solidarity with the people of Leh—especially the families who lost members in the September 24 violence. The strike is set to continue until October 6.
Following an order from the district magistrate of Leh, all government and private schools up to class 8 reopened across the district on Friday, ending a closure that began on September 24.
