– Abdul Bari Masoud
On Sep. 24, Leh awoke to tear gas, sirens, and unrest. What began as a peaceful demonstration demanding constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, including statehood and protections under Sixth Schedule, spiralled into the region’s one of the most violent uprisings since its conversion into a Union Territory in 2019. Four protesters lay dead, dozens were injured, and the Buddhist-majority town had become the epicentre of a political crisis that now threatens to rattle the foundations of the Indian Union. Protesters set fire to the local BJP office and vandalised the Ladakh Hill Council premises, sending a loud message: Ladakhis feel abandoned, and they’re no longer willing to wait in silence.
Demand
For the past six years, the Ladakhis have been demanding statehood, with a fully empowered legislature, as well as the inclusion of the region under Sixth Schedule. This would grant them the constitutional safeguards and benefits enjoyed by the people in many northeastern states. The demand for these rights has been consistently ignored by the union government.
And the fresh wave of protests comes just weeks ahead of the crucial Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections, scheduled for next month. In the last council elections held in 2020, the BJP won 15 out of 26 seats. When Ladakh was separated from J&K in 2019, a section of Buddhists rejoiced but they now feel cheated and frustrated.
A year after the bifurcation, Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil witnessed widespread protests. Civil society leaders united in demanding constitutional safeguards, including statehood for Ladakh, job reservations for locals, and a parliamentary seat each for Leh and Kargil.
From Fasting to Fury
Wangchuk, a member of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and recipient of 2018 Ramon Magsaysay award, is an engineer-turned-activist and innovator of sustainable products. On Sep. 10, he started a 35-day long hunger strike to press for the demands of Statehood and special status under Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.
But Wangchuk’s fast, once hailed as a symbol of peaceful dissent, has now lit the fire. The MHA accused him of “inciting” violence with “provocative statements,” drawing parallels to Arab Spring and Gen Z-led uprisings in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
The MHA said it had been actively engaging with LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance, and despite a planned meeting on Sep. 26 with the leaders, “a mob guided by Wangchuk’s provocative statements” caused violence.
However, Wangchuk has rejected all charges levelled against him by the MHA and termed it a “witch-hunting”. He squarely blamed the BJP-led Union government for the crisis, saying that the high-powered committee (HPC) of the MHA allegedly ignored the groundswell of popular sentiment and anger in Ladakh which led to mass protests.
The activist, who ended his fast amid the violence, now finds himself under arrest. His NGO’s FCRA licence has been revoked, and he may soon be charged under the Public Safety Act, a draconian law allowing detention without trial for two years.
“The funny part is, Ladakh is one place where there is no tax. Yet I voluntarily pay taxes, and I get summons. Then they resurrected a four-year-old complaint that labourers were not paid properly. It is guns blazing from all sides on us,” Wangchuk alleged.
‘This Was Never the Plan’
“I never asked for violence. I asked for justice,” Wangchuk told the press before his arrest. “But the government has pushed the youth into a corner.”
Ladakhis have awaited six years since their forced separation from J&K in 2019. The promise of development and protection has instead resulted in bureaucratic limbo, broken trust, and what they call “second-class citizenship.”
The HPC, formed in 2023 to address local demands, has made little visible progress. As hope dwindled, discontent festered. For many in Ladakh, the protest on Sep. 24 was less about Wangchuk and more about a broken social contract.
A Fragile Border, A Boiling Heartland
Eyewitnesses recount a surreal descent into chaos. A group of young men, marching peacefully toward Leh’s NDS Ground, were met by a large contingent of police. What started as sloganeering escalated into stone-pelting. A police van was set ablaze. Soon, teargas filled the air, and gunshots were heard. By the end of the day, four people were killed in what officials now acknowledge was firing by security forces.
In a symbolic act of defiance, protesters stormed BJP headquarters in Leh, ripping down the party flag but leaving the national flag untouched – a sign, perhaps, that their fight is not against the nation, but for inclusion within it.
Ladakh is not just any region. It’s a sensitive borderland sharing boundaries with China and Pakistan. Yet, its people feel increasingly alienated from Delhi’s decision-making machinery. With elections for LAHDC looming next month, the timing of the protests and their explosive aftermath could not have been more precarious.
In the backdrop of the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh, the unrest could also carry national security ramifications. A senior official in MHA admitted off-record: “This is not what we wanted. But the Centre underestimated the emotional depth of the Ladakhi identity.”
Is India Heading the Sri Lanka Way?
The protest in Ladakh is not an isolated incident. Across South Asia, Gen Z movements – largely youth-led, socially connected, and politically charged – have upended the status quo. From Nepal’s constitutional revolt to Sri Lanka’s ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, one thing is clear: young people are no longer content with being silent spectators.
Ladakh now seems to be India’s version of that script.
“After Uttarakhand’s environmental and paper-leak protests and now this in Ladakh, it’s clear the youth are rising,” said a political analyst in New Delhi. “Ignore them at your own peril.”
Reactions
The government’s swift move to arrest Wangchuk and revoke his NGO’s license has drawn sharp criticism. Two former J&K CMs Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have come to his defence. “This is not governance, this is repression,” Mufti said. “A happy and peaceful place like Ladakh is burning today.”
“They were disappointed that nothing was happening… If people from outside come there in large numbers, what will remain of them? They are just a few lakh in number,” she said.
Mufti said the Centre should ponder over the developments in Ladakh.
“A happy and prosperous place like Ladakh is burning today. Ladakh has remained peaceful even when Kashmir and Jammu were engulfed in violence. Ladakhis played a stellar role in the Kargil War,” she added.
On the BJP’s claims that the Congress instigated the violence, Mufti brushed off the allegation, saying it was a “people’s outburst”.
“It is wrong and meant to keep people of the country away from the truth,” three-time former J&K Chief Minister and ruling National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on MHA blaming Wangchuk for Ladakh unrest.
Abdullah went further, warning that the frustration is not from foreign meddling but due to broken promises by the government. “Wangchuk is no criminal. He’s asking for what was promised,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind’s Vice-President Prof Salim Engineer also voiced deep concern over the recent violence and loss of lives in Ladakh. He urged the government to show empathy with the people and address their genuine aspirations as promised at the time of unilateral revocation of Article 370 which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The government, however, seems to have drawn its own battle lines. Officials claim Wangchuk’s speeches misled the youth and inflamed tensions, despite warnings from both civil society leaders and security forces, he added. Senior Jamaat leader also criticised the labelling of activists and concerned citizens as “anti-national”, warning that such rhetoric only polarises society and undermines democracy.
What Now?
Curfew-like restrictions remain in force across Leh. The streets are eerily quiet, patrolled by paramilitary forces. But beneath the silence simmers a storm.
In a final message before being taken into custody, Wangchuk said, “If asking for justice is sedition, I accept it. But remember, jailing one man won’t jail a movement. You cannot silence a region forever.”
There is speculation that Wangchuk may be booked under PSA and detained.
“I think my detention will awaken the country more than my freedom,” said the climate activist.
As India watches Ladakh burn, it must ask itself some hard questions: is this the cost of ignoring regional voices?
The unrest in Ladakh is not just about one man or one demand. It is about the erosion of faith in democratic dialogue – a warning bell that rings far louder than the silence of the Himalayas.
