00:01Thinless Dorje is free after nine days in prison.
00:05He was arrested during last month's protests,
00:08calling for more autonomy for the Ladakh region.
00:11He and other protesters report to the local court
00:14as part of their bail conditions.
00:18For the last four or five years, no one was listening to our demands.
00:22The talks with the central government were being repeatedly delayed.
00:25People were very angry.
00:27This was bound to happen and, unfortunately, that anger erupted
00:30in the 24th of September protests.
00:36Dorje was part of the peaceful protests,
00:39but says accusations he later was part of the violence are wrong.
00:45Some protesters threw rocks at police,
00:48who opened fire at the crowds,
00:50killing at least four people and injuring dozens more.
00:54They arrested more than 50 people.
00:57Those accused of violence include local former army personnel.
01:01Usually hailed as heroes of the national state,
01:04they are now accused of colluding with foreign elements against India.
01:09This is the most painful and worrisome thing.
01:12We, the people of Ladakh, are very patriotic.
01:15We are always ready to give our lives for India.
01:18We don't even think twice before extending our support.
01:20We are ready for India, for Bharat and for Delhi.
01:24But friction between people in Ladakh and the central government
01:27has been building for years.
01:29After the region was separated from Jumu and Kashmir in 2019,
01:33it came under central rule from Delhi.
01:36Promises that this would lead to greater autonomy
01:38or in a state would have not materialised.
01:40Prompting calls for local control over land, jobs and natural resources.
01:46This is the lay apex body, the main group campaigning for Ladakh's autonomy.
01:56Members here say the arrests last month deepened mistrust.
02:01If the government wants to improve the situation,
02:07if they want to bring back normality,
02:09then people should stop being arrested, intimidated and threatened.
02:13We strongly condemn this approach by authorities.
02:16This is wrong.
02:17They think that by silencing us they will suppress our movement,
02:20but the movement will not be suppressed with such tactics.
02:23It will only become stronger.
02:26When filming in Ladakh's capital still there,
02:29we found many people who said they feared retribution
02:32if they spoke on camera.
02:34And when we asked senior local police officials to talk to us,
02:38they declined to comment.
02:40I just want to take one bite from you.
02:42No, no, no.
02:43I'm an interpreter for you.
02:46The representative of India's ruling BJP in Ladakh told us
02:50the central government has set up a judicial inquiry into last month's violence.
02:55Yes, there was a frustration for sure,
02:57but such violence, such anger, we never anticipated.
03:04Everybody should take the responsibility.
03:07Somehow, somehow, everybody has done the mistake,
03:10you know, whether it is willfully or, you know, not willfully.
03:15Whoever made a mistake, the violence it triggered was rooted in a deep tension
03:21between demands for local autonomy and the central government's determination
03:25to maintain tight control.
03:30After his appointment in court, Thinless Dorje returns home to his family.
03:34All our demands are for the future generation, to secure the future of my children
03:43and the generations that come after.
03:45This struggle will continue.
03:51He knows his personal legal fight ahead will be long,
03:54and the campaign for more local autonomy will likely be even longer.
04:01Like, he knows, he knows his privacy.
04:04He knows the city needs more people,
04:06but it is not impossible to get fully acquainted with promises.
04:07Whenever he does, he knows a minimumじ.
04:08He knows what you're going to get from this building?
04:10He knows how much money is going to do for a problem,
04:12and he knows how much money to get from the depths of my children,
04:13and he knows how many people are using social security,
04:14where he knows how many people are using social security.
04:15So, he knows how many people could get free to get you.
04:16He knows how many people feel about the decisions about the trick
04:17in this building.
04:18Now, he knows how many people has done this building.
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