Leh, Oct 15, KNT: Congress Councilor Stanzin Tsepag, who was at the centre of a major controversy following the September 24 violence in Leh, was granted bail along with six others by a local court.
Tsepag, a sitting councilor, had come under the spotlight after a purported photo of a masked man holding a stick went viral on social media in the aftermath of the violence. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had alleged that the person in the image was Tsepag himself, a claim he has categorically denied.
The court’s decision to grant bail comes more than two weeks after widespread clashes erupted during protests in Leh, leaving 4 persons dead, over 90 injured, and prompting a heavy police crackdown. Sources said the court found no grounds for the continued detention of the seven individuals, including Tsepag, and ordered their release pending further investigation.
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Tsepag, who maintained his innocence from the beginning, has said the allegations were politically motivated. “The image circulated on social media was part of a deliberate attempt to malign me and the Congress Party,” he told his associates after being released.
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Meanwhile, various political and social leaders in Ladakh have announced plans for a two-hour peaceful silent march, followed by an evening blackout across the Union Territory of Ladakh, to draw attention to what they term as the “unjust handling” of the situation and to demand transparency in the ongoing investigation. They also demand the unconditional release of Sonam Wangchuk.
The September 24 violence in Leh had erupted amid protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, leading to several arrests and heightened tensions across the region. [KNT]
