Brigadier B.D. Mishra (Retd) was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor (L-G) of the Union Territory of Ladakh on Sunday, at a time when the region is witnessing a major upheaval over demands for Statehood and for a special status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides autonomy and protection for tribal populations.
N. Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, administered the oath to Brig. Mishra on the occasion. All administrative secretaries and other dignitaries attended the ceremony held at Raj Niwas, Ladakh, an official spokesman said.
Brig. Mishra is retired from the Army and has previously served as an L-G of Arunachal Pradesh. He took over the reins from R.K. Mathur, a bureaucrat who was appointed as the first L-G of Ladakh in 2019, after the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was split into two Union Territories.
Statehood demands
Mr. Mathur, whose five-year term should have ended in 2024, is not leaving on a happy note. His administration faced prolonged protests from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), conglomerates representing the region’s religious and political organisations. They have been leading the demand for Ladakh to become a State and for its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
The previous L-G’s administration also faced allegations of using an iron hand against those voicing demands for special rights for the region under the Sixth Schedule. Ladakh’s well-known environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk also accused the Mr. Mathur’s administration of placing him under house arrest and forcing him to sign a bond ahead of his fast to highlight climate change in Ladakh last month.
The new L-G is likely to face an uphill task, with the LAB and the KDA having threatened to intensify their agitation, after their street protests in New Delhi failed to evoke any positive response from the Centre.
Meanwhile, the Ladakh Hill Development Council’s Leh and Kargil chapters have welcomed the appointment of a new L-G for the region.
