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The Rediff Interview/Navin Chaudhary 'Vested interests spread rumours to exploit the situation' When Deputy Commissioner of Leh Navin Chaudhary heard that an office bearer of the Ladakh Buddhist Association had made derogatory remarks about the Quran, he realised trouble was not far away. This was on July 10. He wasn't off the mark. But even he was shocked when militants gunned down three lamas in Rungdum Gompa on July 11 at 2030 hours IST. The incident sent shockwaves through Leh, nerve centre of the agitation, to demand union territory status for Ladakh and the town became the focal point of Buddhist anger against the killings. Chaudhary doesn't rule out the involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence in the incident. But the young officer from Bihar is confident that the district administration can maintain law and order in Leh. Excerpts from an interview with Onkar Singh: What led the district administration to impose indefinite curfew in Leh? On July 10, a member of the Ladakh Buddhist Association made certain remarks at a rally, which angered the religious minority in Leh. While we were trying to sort out the matter by holding meetings with leaders of both communities, we received news of the killing of three lamas in Kargil sector. This angered the younger lot of the Buddhist community. Some vested interests tried to exploit the situation by spreading rumours. Despite our efforts at mediation, the tension refused to subside, which prompted imposition of the curfew. Does the ISI have a hand in the killing of the lamas? It is too early to say anything because investigations are in progress. This is the first incident of its kind in Ladakh. Preliminary investigations confirmed the killings were the handiwork of militants. During the Kargil crisis, intelligence agencies seized a large quantity of arms from Tur Tuk. Does it have any connection with this incident? I can't say. Did the militants want to put pressure on Ladakhis and force them to give up their demand for separation from Jammu and Kashmir? Again, I can't say. The killing took place near Zanskar, almost 350 kilometers from Leh. Besides, this is the first militant activity in Leh. I can't say if it had anything to do with the separation demand. Have you identified the militants behind the incident? No. But the Kargil police are investigating the incident. What happened to those arrested in Leh? They were arrested to prevent any untoward incident. They belonged to both communities here. There were some outside elements among them. Most, except the vice-president of the LBA, have been released. He made the remarks that led to tension in Leh. He has been arrested for spreading hatred among two religious communities and booked under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The courts will decide whether he is guilty or not. What measures do you plan to prevent recurrence of such incidents? We have made it clear to leaders of both communities that communal harmony has to be maintained, as per Ladakhi tradition, and have been interacting with religious and political organisations in this regard. They have issued a joint statement calling for communal harmony to be maintained in Ladakh and condemned incidents that led to the tension. They also conducted a joint peace march in the town. The district administration will deal sternly with anyone trying to disturb peace in Ladakh. EARLIER REPORT 'We are scared more Lamas may be killed' The Rediff Interviews Tell us what you think of this interview

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