At least 4 individuals were killed and 50 others were injured in Leh on Wednesday after police opened fire when protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections for Ladakh turned violent. Protesters also set the BJP office in Leh on fire. Soon after the violence, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, which had entered its 35th day in support of Ladakh’s demands. The Leh administration has now banned gatherings of more than four people as a safety measure.
The clashes broke out just days before talks between the Centre and the Leh Apex Body, scheduled for October 6 after a four-month gap. The Indian Express, citing sources said that the government did not want Sonam Wangchuk included in the discussions, viewing him as an obstacle to the negotiations.
What happened on September 24? A timeline
- Protests demanding statehood in Leh turned violent on Wednesday, with clashes on the streets and acts of arson leaving four people dead and at least 59 injured, including 22 police officers.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs in its statement said, “On 24th September, at around 11.30 AM, a mob instigated by (Sonam Wangchuk’s) provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC (chief electoral officer), Leh.”
- Groups of young people set fire to vehicles and attacked the BJP headquarters and the Hill Council office. Police and paramilitary forces, deployed across the town, used tear gas to control the situation, officials said.
- The government claims that they also attacked security forces, damaged a police vehicle, and injured more than 30 police and CRPF personnel. The violence continued with public property being destroyed. The statement further said that the police, acting in self-defence, opened fire, which led to the casualties.
- By 4:00 pm, the situation was largely brought under control.
Why is the government blaming Wangchuk?
The Ministry of Home Affairs in a statement said that on September 10 this year, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike, demanding statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. Around the same time, the Government of India was already in dialogue with the Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance through the High-Powered Committee (HPC), its sub-committee, and several informal meetings with local leaders.
The government claims that these discussions led to major outcomes like the reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Ladakh was raised from 45% to 84%, one-third of council seats were reserved for women, and Bhoti and Purgi were declared official languages. In fact, recruitment for 1,800 posts was also initiated.
But despite these steps, some politically motivated individuals were unhappy with the HPC’s progress and tried to disrupt the process. In fact, another HPC meeting was already scheduled for October 6, with additional meetings fixed for September 25 and 26 with Ladakhi leaders.
The government further said that Wangchuk’s demands were already part of the HPC’s agenda, yet he refused to end his fast even after repeated requests from leaders, the government stated in the release, adding that he compared the situation to Arab Spring protests and youth movements in Nepal, which many saw as provocative.
“On 24th September, at around 11.30 am, a mob instigated by his [Sonam Wangchuk’s] provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC Leh,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said that the mob’s actions were influenced by Sonam Wangchuk’s “provocative” statements. During these developments, Wangchuk called off his fast. Authorities claimed his statements had directly encouraged the unrest. The statement said that Wangchuk was to blame for “misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal.”
Wangchuk ends hunger strike, responds to violent protests
Speaking to the press after Wednesday’s violence, Sonam Wangchuk said thousands of protesters were peacefully gathered at the hunger strike site, praying and listening to speeches, when a large group of young people broke away and began shouting slogans. He later learned that this group attacked offices, police vehicles, and the BJP office.
In a TV show Wagchuk pinned the blame on BJP goverment, claiming they had 5 years to listen to the people’s demands and take note of the peaceful protests but they didn’t adhere.
Wangchuk expressed regret over the deaths in police firing and said the exact number of injured was still being confirmed. He linked the violence to years of frustration among the youth, describing the protesters as the Gen Z generation, and appealed for calm. His reference to Gen Z appeared to draw a comparison with recent youth-led protests in Nepal that toppled the government there.
“It was the outburst of this young generation that brought them onto the streets. They have been unemployed for the past five years, repeatedly thrown out of jobs on one pretext or another, and Ladakh’s demands have not been met. I would say this is a recipe for social unrest. Some people think they were only our supporters, but in reality, the whole of Ladakh stands with us and with this cause. This was a Gen Z revolution,” Wangchuk said in a video message on X.
Wangchuk further said that while he understood why the protesters were upset, “this (the violence) was not the right way,” and that their fight needed to continue through “peace and struggle.” He added that the young people had been growing impatient. “They would tell us they had seen the results of the peaceful path taken by us, that they don’t believe in it… But we didn’t expect something like this.”
On ending his hunger strike, Wangchuk said, “If we continue, we fear more people will fall seriously ill, there will be more anger and there could be an explosive situation… It can also bring instability on the borders of the country.”
What led to the unrest in Ladakh?
When Ladakh became a Union Territory in 2019, separating from Jammu and Kashmir, it did not get its own representation in the legislature. People in the region have said that this has limited their ability to govern themselves and protect their local interests.
Locals also complain that job opportunities, land rights, and other protections they once had are weakening under the Union Territory system.
There are concerns that Ladakh’s fragile environment could be harmed by large projects like solar farms and infrastructure developments, especially since decisions are made centrally without involving local people. Many feel that governance and development choices are being made without consulting the community.
Wangchuk was leading the hunger strike which had started on Sep 10 to demand statehood and Sixth Schedule protections. However, protest widened when a few protestors got hospitalised due to their deteriorating health.
Congress linked to Leh protests, claims BJP
BJP leader Amit Malviya shared photos and videos of the violence in Leh, alleged that Congress party was linked the unrest. He said that a Congress councillor from Upper Leh Ward, Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, was seen encouraging the mob and taking part in attacks on the BJP office and the Hill Council.
“Is this the kind of unrest Rahul Gandhi has been fantasising about,” Malviya said in his post on X.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also criticised Tsepag, calling him a ‘Gen Z leader’ of Congress and warning that such unrest could have serious consequences.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, had recently called on the youth of the country to defend democracy and resist alleged election manipulation. His reference to Gen Z came after violent youth-led protests in Nepal earlier this month that toppled the KP Sharma Oli government. BJP leaders accused Rahul Gandhi of encouraging young people to create chaos in India.
Responding to these claims, Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk said Congress did not have the influence to organise such large protests. He explained that councillor Tsepag had reacted in anger because two people from his village were hospitalised, but the wider protests were not planned or controlled by any political party.