Srinagar: The Union government should announce some “trust building” measures to make the upcoming visit of Union home minister (MHA) Amit Shah a “meaningful exercise”, a civil society group spearheading a pro-democracy agitation in Ladakh said.The Leh Apex Body (LAB) which is leading the agitation for the restoration of constitutional rights and democracy in Ladakh along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), met on Sunday (April 26) to discuss the high-profile visit.Shah is scheduled to arrive in Ladakh for a two-visit on April 30 during which he is reportedly going to review the developmental works taken up by the Union government in the border region and also interact with “prominent citizens”.“We believe that the visit will become a meaningful exercise if some of our issues are resolved which includes providing compensation to those who were killed (on September 24) and withdrawal of police cases against the alleged protesters,” the LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook said.Lakrook, chairman of the powerful Ladakh Buddhist Association, spoke with reporters after the meeting of the LAB in Leh on Sunday. He was flanked by climate activist and innovator Sonam Wangchuk among other LAB leaders.Wangchuk said that 83 people have been booked in various cases in connection with the violence that broke out in September last year in which at least four persons were killed and dozens were injured after police and paramilitary forces swooped down on a peaceful protest near Polo Ground in Leh.‘Cases against protesters should be dropped’: WangchukOne of the victims later succumbed to injuries, taking the toll of the deceased to five. The climate activist was arrested in the aftermath of the violence, booked under the stringent National Security Act and shifted to a jail in Rajasthan.After spending 170 days in jail, the MHA, without explanation, revoked Wangchuk’s NSA and set him free on March 14, which was seen by some as a confidence building measure for the resumption of dialogue between the Union government and the civil society leaders of Ladakh.“The government should correct the wrongs committed in Ladakh. In the same way that the NSA against me was revoked for a trustful, meaningful and constructive dialogue, the police cases filed against these people should be revoked ahead of the home minister’s visit. Such a move would truly spark hopes and faith [in the Union government],” he said.Saying that the protesters had been engaged in “violations” during the September 24 agitation called by the LBA in Leh, Wangchuk said that the action taken by the security forces in the aftermath of the protests resulted in “bigger violations as per the standard operating procedures”.“Live bullets were fired and people were shot in their heads and chests. Many were left half-dead. The government should provide compensation for the deceased as well as the injured and the cases (against alleged protesters) should be dropped,” he said.‘Unproductive for years’Ladakh Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena also said on Sunday that a meeting of the sub-committee formed by the MHA in 2023 to look into four key demands of the civil society leaders will hold another round of talks on May 22.The LAB-KDA combine have demanded Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh, two Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil and a separate Public Service Commission.Wangchuk said that the talks between the Union government and Ladakh’s civil society leaders have remained “unproductive for years”.“The announcement that the talks will be held at the sub-committee level means that the decision-makers like ministers are not going to attend. Since the home minister is coming to Ladakh, he should chair the meeting here. This is a good opportunity,” he said.LAB leader Ashraf Ali Barcha said that the first meeting between the Ladakh civil society and the Union government was chaired in New Delhi on January 6 2021 by Shah during which the decision to form the high powered committee on Ladakh was taken.“The home minister assured us that the HPC would be chaired by the minister of state (home) and he would himself head the committee meetings if need arises. We are happy that the home minister is visiting Ladakh. If he chairs an HPC meeting, it would be good for Ladakh. We have had enough talks. The time of discussions is over. Now is the time for decisions,” Barcha said.The itinerary of the home minister’s Ladakh visit has not been disclosed by the Union government, although it is being reported that Shah will pay respects to the Buddha’s relics on May 1.