Shutdown in India's Ladakh marks anniversary of deadly autonomy protests

Shops and businesses in the city of Leh remained shut and streets were deserted on Thursday, witnesses said, following calls for a shutdown by a Buddhist group.

"The shutdown is to commemorate those who laid down their lives for Ladakh and express solidarity with their families, and... to highlight our demands for autonomy," a member of the Ladakh Buddhist Association toldAFP, declining to be named. Residents organised special Buddhist prayers to commemorate those they called the "martyrs" of the protests.

Ladakh is strategically important to India as it borders regional rivals China and Pakistan. The vast desert region is sparsely populated, with around 300,000 residents, half of them Muslim and about 40% Buddhist. Read More:India's 'cockroach' movement says will launch protest if poll panel chief doesn't quit in 48 hours.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government split Ladakh from Indian-occupied Kashmir in 2019, residents have said the end of semi-autonomy has stripped them of protections over land, jobs, resources and cultural identity. New Delhi now makes most development decisions, which officials from outside Ladakh tend to implement, sidelining the locally elected council.

On Wednesday, Ladakh's New Delhi-appointed top administrator said some of the 89 people charged after last year's protests would no longer face criminal prosecution.

"In the larger interest of peace, public tranquility, and social harmony in Ladakh, I have approved the withdrawal of criminal cases against 20 individuals, related to the unfortunate violence that erupted in Leh on September 24 last year," Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said. "The decision aims at fostering a more peaceful, united, and harmonious society in Ladakh.

"Negotiations with the federal home ministry have continued since the protests, but residents have secured only limited gains so far. The government has reserved 85% of jobs for locals and said Indians from outside Ladakh will not be able to acquire domicile status in the region until 2036.

But residents are demanding comprehensive autonomy under the "Sixth Schedule" of India's constitution, which would allow a local legislature to make laws on land use, jobs and traditional livelihoods.