LEH (Ladakh): On Friday, 26 September 2025, Ladakh Police expectedly arrested Ladakhi educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been leading a peaceful agitation for statehood and autonomy for Ladakh for nearly five years.
On the third, prohibitory orders continued with curfew like restrictions in Leh and its surrounding areas. The situation was officially described as peaceful and under control. Tension prevailed as the anger among the people was visible after the arrest of Sonam Wangchuk when he was on his way to Leh from his home village.
On 24 September, Wednesday, however, Ladakh's peace was shattered as the agitation exploded into arson and violence, ultimately leading to the deaths of four protestors. A Union government statement issued late on Wednesday laid the blame for the violence squarely on Sonam Wangchuk. The next day on 25 September, Thursday, news emerged that the FCRA licence of his NGO had been cancelled. Moreover, the CBI was instructed to investigate further alleged violations by Wangchuk and his associates.
Hours before his arrest, Wangchuk, who is a key figure in the Leh Apex Body (LAB) — a coalition of civil society, religious and political groups — told presspersons that he was fighting for greater autonomy, protection of Ladakh’s unique culture and stronger economic security for the region.
As police and paramilitary forces enforced a strict curfew for the third day, at least 50 individuals were taken into custody in Leh till Thursday evening, a town still reeling from the previous day’s tumultuous clashes that left four dead and over 80 wounded. Police raids were being conducted to arrest more persons in connection with Wednesday's violence.
A shutdown orchestrated by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), aimed at pressing the Centre on demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule extension for Ladakh, spiraled into chaos on Wednesday, erupting in violent confrontations, widespread arson, and street skirmishes.
Stringent prohibitory orders, forbidding gatherings of five or more, have been imposed across other key towns, including Kargil, where a shutdown called by the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in solidarity with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk—who was undertaking a hunger strike — sought to draw attention to their cause.
Wangchuk’s fortnight-long hunger strike was abruptly halted as Leh descended into turmoil, with protesters setting fire to the BJP office, torching vehicles, and vandalising the Hill Council headquarters, forcing authorities to impose an indefinite curfew to rein in the chaos.
In response to question about violence, he said, “For two reasons: On the surface, the unrest was triggered by the hospitalisation of two hunger strikers. But at a deeper level, it reflected the pent-up frustration of the youth over the jobs they had been promised but never given. They had been promised 21,000 jobs, but only a few hundred were filled until recently. The promises were big, and so were the resulting disappointments.”
“Similarly, the Sixth Schedule was promised in the BJP’s manifesto, yet it was backtracked. Statehood was also pledged, but it was never even discussed”, he added.
He said, “Moreover, the way they treated people — including myself — who raised their voices was alarming. We were harassed: FIRs were filed against us, CBI inquiries were launched, income tax summons were issued, land was cancelled, and more. All these actions generated anger among the youth.”
In reply to a question, he said, “I didn’t make any speeches. Due to my ongoing hunger strike, I was not in a position to make any speech. It was the 14th day of my hunger strike. These claims are just an attempt to make a scapegoat of me. I am told that they are preparing a case to place me under the Public Safety Act (PSA), so this is part of that setup.”
CBI inquiry into alleged violations of FCRA
He told the presspersons, “If you read their complaint, it says that during 2022–24, we received foreign contributions three times, even though we are not supposed to receive foreign contributions. The fact is that what we received was not donations from foreign countries. What we received, as an alternative university, were fees paid to our knowledge consultancy.”
He said, “It was the United Nations that paid for our solar heating technology, which we took to Afghanistan. Payments also came from a Swiss university and an Italian organisation for our artificial glacier project. These were all service transactions, with taxes duly paid.”
Sonam Wangchuk said, “Our country should be proud that an institution like ours is bringing laurels to the nation. We are moving in the direction of becoming self-reliant. This is something every university aspires to, but most are not capable of achieving.”
Congress urges Centre to swiftly honour Ladakhis’ long-standing aspirations
The Congress on Friday, 26 September, called on the central government to urgently address the distress and anguish of the people of Ladakh, stressing that mere dialogue is no longer enough and that their legitimate aspirations must be fulfilled at the earliest.
The statement comes in the aftermath of violent protests in Leh town on Wednesday, which left four people dead and around 90 injured. The unrest erupted during a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which has been demanding statehood for Ladakh and the extension of protections under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in-charge of communications, highlighted that six years after the creation of the Union Territory of Ladakh, local expectations have turned into massive disappointment and disenchantment.
“The people of Ladakh have seen their land and employment rights under severe threat, while local administration and elected bodies have been effectively taken over by the lieutenant governor and bureaucracy,” Ramesh said on X.
He added that the people have been met with repeated meetings and discussions on their demands, but concrete action has been lacking. Ramesh also pointed to security concerns arising from China’s unilateral abrogation of the status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the perceived “clean chit” given to China by the PM on June 19, 2020, which has added to local uncertainty.
“Ladakh holds profound cultural, economic, ecological, and strategic importance to India. The people of Ladakh have, at all times, been proud Indians. Their distress must awaken the government’s conscience—not just for talks, but for fulfilling their aspirations in full measure at the earliest,” he said.
Following the violent protests, an uneasy calm prevailed in Leh on Thursday, with police and paramilitary forces enforcing a strict curfew. So far, at least 50 people have been detained in connection with the unrest. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, as demands for Sixth Schedule protections and statehood remain central to the agitation.
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