5 killed in Ladakh autonomy protests

Five people were killed in India yesterday as police clashed with hundreds of protesters demanding greater autonomy in the Himalayan territory of Ladakh, leaving "dozens" injured, police said.

In the main city of Leh, demonstrators torched a police vehicle and the offices of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, while officers fired tear gas and used batons to disperse crowds, police said.

"Five deaths were reported after the protests," a police officer in Leh told AFP, on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to journalists. "The number of injured is in the dozens."

Another police officer, Regzin Sangdup, told AFP that "several people, including some policemen, were injured."

Authorities later imposed restrictions on gatherings, banning assemblies of more than four people.

The sparsely populated, high-altitude desert region, home to some 300,000 people, borders both China and Pakistan.

Around half of Ladakh's residents are Muslim and about 40 percent are Buddhist.

Yesterday's demonstrations were organised in solidarity with prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for two weeks.

He is demanding either full statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land and fragile environment.