Days after violence escalated in Ladakh over the longstanding demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, climate activist Sonam Wagchuk was detained by the police in Leh under the National Security Act (NSA) on Friday. As per a statement issued by the Leh administration, he has been taken to a jail in Jodhpur.
Earlier, the police had detained around 50 people, with the Union government blaming Wangchuk, who is the most prominent face of the mass agitation, for “provoking" the youth.
On 24 September, Leh district of Ladakh witnessed deadly violence, leaving four civilians dead and over 80 injured. This was for the first time in six years of Ladakh’s struggle for constitutional safeguards that the movement turned violent, marking a major shift in its trajectory.
Thousands of protesters allegedly set fire to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Leh—and torched a CRPF van. Following the protests, authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in the district, barring the assembly of five or more people.
The people, especially the youth, according to eyewitnesses, were upset after two elderly protesters, identified as Tsering Angchuk, 72, and Tashi Dolma 60, who were on hunger strike for the past 15 days, fainted and were admitted to hospital. “This was the tipping point for the protest,” said Padma Stanzin, one of the organisers of the hunger strike.
Ladakh, which became a Union Territory in 2019, has been long demanding for statehood following its separation from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir—and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule that grants limited autonomy for tribal communities.
The leaders of Ladakh under the banner of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)—an amalgam of socio-religious and political organisations—have been in talks with the high-powered committee (HPC) constituted by the Union government back in 2022. Over 10 rounds of dialogue have been held between the parties so far. The last round of dialogue was held in May this year.
The Centre has scheduled the next meeting between the Union Home Ministry and the Ladakh representatives on 6 October—a date the protesters had been urging to bring forward. The protesters alleged that New Delhi wasn’t "serious" in resolving the issue and was "buying time".
Following the talks in May, New Delhi announced a new domicile and job reservation policy for the Union territory of Ladakh, to the relief of thousands of job aspirants.
"However, our two key demands—statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule—remain unresolved, and we were assured that another round of talks with the HPC would be held within a month,” said Ashraf Ali Barcha, a Ladakh representative in the negotiations.
Experts say the fatalities are likely to create deep disquiet in the region and could have lasting repercussions.
How the Protests Turned Violent
More than a dozen people, led by Wangchuk, had been on a hunger strike since 10 September at Leh's NDS Memorial Park. On 23 September, when the two protesters were hospitalised, a shutdown call was given by the LAB youth wing.
According to eyewitnesses, the situation took a turn for the worse when the news spread, and thousands of people turned up to the venue.
“There was an overwhelming response from youth, who turned up in large numbers,” said Chhering Dorje Lakrook, who is the co-chairman of the Leh Apex Body, told The Quint.
A big chunk of youngsters, as per him, broke away from this group and went out raising slogans against the administration and in support of the demands.
Lakrook said the situation quickly spiralled out of their hands. “We tried to stop them but couldn't,” he said, adding that the youth took the law “into their own hands” out of frustration over soaring unemployment in the region.
“The protest wasn’t pre-planned as some narratives are being spread [by the right-wing handles and TV channels]. It was spontaneous and was the saturation point of the six years of frustration.”Gelek Phunchok, Convenor of the Leh Apex Body Organising Committee
Phunchok stated that they had urged the MHA not to set the date for the next round of talks sooner, as the health of the 5,000 people on hunger strike, including Wangchuk, was deteriorating.
“If the dates had been nearer, they could have ended their fast. Our representatives have been called by the MHA for a meeting, and we are hopeful that anything meaningful will come out,” he said, adding that they didn't want to carry on the protest as Ladakhis are "peace-loving people."
High Stakes
Padma Stanzin, youth representative of the LAB, echoed Phunchok, saying, “People felt it was deeply unjust for those who had been on hunger strike for 15 days. The incident occurred on the 15th day of the strike, when many participants’ health had already deteriorated."
Lakrook maintains that they have never been in favour of violence, and called this situation “unfortunate.”
In a press release on 24 September, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that Wangchuk had misled the people through "provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal." On Thursday, the MHA also cancelled the FCRA license of Wangchuk’s NGO.
In 2023, leaders from both Kargil and Leh had presented a four-point agenda to New Delhi, demanding the following:
Full statehood for Ladakh.
Constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Early recruitment process.
Public Service Commission for Ladakh.
Separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
According to Sheikh Showkat Hussain, former Professor of International Law at Central University of Kashmir, the violence in Ladakh is the direct fallout of the event that happened on 5 August 2019.
“Hyper sensitive Ladakh, in the vicinity of China, was taken for granted. Silence was projected as consent and as an endorsement of arbitrary decisions. The results of this are for all to see. It's high time the policy of arbitrary decision-making, regarding JK & Ladakh, is revisited."Sheikh Showkat Hussain
He added that India can't afford to keep Ladakh, which has borders with China and Pakistan, destabilised.
The MHA noted in its press release that the violence also left more than 30 police and CRPF jawans injured.
“On 24th September, at around 11.30 am, a mob instigated by his provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC Leh. They also put these offices on fire, attacked the security personnel, and torched police vehicle. The unruly mob attacked the police personnel in which more than 30 police/CRPF personnel were injured. The mob continued to destroy the public property and attack the police personnel. In self-defence, police had to resort to firing in which unfortunately some casualties are reported.”
Another youth from Ladakh, who requested anonymity, told The Quint that the protesters could have been controlled easily by the police, and there was no need to fire the bullets.
“The authorities could have used various other means like teargas or lathicharge to control the masses but they fired bullets directly. Some of the victims had bullets on their chest, so maybe their intention was to kill."
The Quint could not independently verify whether the bullets struck the victims in the chest and has reached out to the Director General of Police, Ladakh, and other authorities for their comments. This story will be updated as a response comes.
Security of Ecological Fragile Zone
Political observers have expressed concern over the situation, emphasising that Ladakh, as a sensitive and strategic region, cannot be allowed to remain destabilised.
Ajai Sahni, executive director of New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management and South Asia Terrorism Portal, said that the situation in Ladakh has been building up for a long time, since the UT status has resulted not in the autonomy and empowerment that locals aspired for, but in complete “disempowerment” under the Centre's rule.
“There are serious and valid concerns regarding the exploitation of resources and ecological, cultural and demographic destabilisation as well, and a sense that the Centre is riding roughshod over these.”Ajai Sahni
He further maintained that this is a critical security concern in a threatened border area which is already in jeopardy as a result of “Chinese encroachments” and aggressive claims.
Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst for Delhi-based think-tank International Crisis Group, said people in the region had been apprehensive due to the fact that there were several industrial and developmental projects, creating anxieties among the residents who were concerned about its ecologically fragile region.
“New Delhi has been unable to address these concerns, which the people perceive as existential crises. In Kashmir, it leads to a quiet support for militancy to stall these unilateral changes; in Ladakh, it has finally erupted as youth protests. Although the political situations differ, the fears and insecurities are similar, especially concerning the potential loss of cultural identity due to diminished control over land and resources."Praveen Donthi
As the authorities have imposed strict restrictions in both Kargil and Leh, the people are hopeful that New Delhi will try to resolve the issue at the “early stage” and restore the normalcy in the region.
(Auqib Javeed is an independent journalist from Jammu and Kashmir reporting on politics and human rights. This is an opinion piece. The views expressed above are the author's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)