Ahead of the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, the hunt for the first chief secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh has started.
According to sources, Rohit Kansal who heads the planning department of the state and Shaleen Kabra, the state’s home secretary, are the frontrunners for the coveted post in the arid Ladakh region.
Kansal emerged as the face of the state administration during the past weeks and months of shutdown and curfew in Kashmir. As the government spokesperson, he was responsible for devising the media strategy during the communication blockade.
“He single handedly ensured that the media was not put to any trouble even as the state and especially the Kashmir Valley was under an unprecedented communication blockade. Since August 5, he has worked out a good equation with the powerful chief secretary as well as officers in charge of Kashmir affairs in New Delhi,” sources said.
On the other hand, Kabra, as the state’s home secretary, was responsible for handling the most vital department of security in the aftermath of Article 370 abrogation. “He was overseeing the coordination between various security agencies which ensured that not a single death occurred during the prevailing tensions,” sources said.
Officials in the civil secretariat said both the key officers are leading contenders for the post of Ladakh’s first CS, “The matter of seniority will also come into play when the choice is finally made,” sources said.
Both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will become Union Territories on October 31.
Jammu and Kashmir is currently under President's rule. The state Assembly was dissolved on November 2018 after the ruling coalition between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) fell apart in June 2018.
The Valley has remained under lockdown for over two months since the abrogation of the Article 370 by the BJP-led Centre and a sweeping crackdown on not just militants but even mainstream parties like National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party with former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti under detention.
An array of political leaders, businessmen, lawyers, activists and others have also been confined to Centaur Hotel on the banks of Dal Lake which has been declared as a sub-jail by the state administration. On Thursday, four leaders including former lawmakers were released from the sub jail.
The government has not made any announcement yet on the charges under which the mainstream leaders and others have been arrested, and whether and when they will be released, although the Thursday’s release seems to pave way for restoration of political process in the state.
Relatives of Omar and Mehbooba recently were allowed to meet the leaders at Hari Niwas Palace and a guest house at Cheshma Shahi where the two leaders are being held respectively. Leaders of NC also met the party chief Dr Farooq Abdullah who has been held under the Public Safety Act.
Earlier, the daughter of Mehbooba, Iltija Mufti, had written to the home minister that she was fearing for her life and that she was being denied permission to meet her mother who she said has been confined to ‘one room’. She however later met her mother and has been lately sending out tweets from her mother’s account.