Year after four killed in police firing, Ladakh announces compensation for kin

The Ladakh administration has announced compensation for the families of four people killed in police firing on September 24 last year, in response to the demands of two representative bodies in the Union Territory. Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena expressed the administration's solidarity with the affected families, stating that no amount of compensation can replace a life lost or alleviate the grief endured.

The compensation amounts range from Rs 15 lakh for each of the four deceased family members, Rs 3 lakh for those with major injuries, and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries. A total of Rs 1.52 crore has been sanctioned for compensation, with Rs 60 lakh set aside for the families of the deceased, Rs 72 lakh for those with major injuries, and Rs 20 lakh for those with minor injuries.

The compensation is meant to demonstrate support and solidarity for the affected individuals. Four protestors were killed and 44 injured during the violent protests that erupted in Leh on September 24, following a call for a shutdown due to hunger strikers fainting. The incident sparked confrontation between the Centre and the two representative bodies of Ladakh, the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.

The compensation was one of the key demands of these bodies. As a confidence-building measure, the Centre transferred Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta and police chief S D Singh Jamwal from Leh. Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena replaced them in March of this year.