The peaceful protest, called by the youth wing of Leh Apex Body, took a violent turn when the condition of two of the fasting participants deteriorated and they were hospitalized. They were a 70-year-old man and a woman in her 60s. Fifteen others also suffered health problems during the fast, which began on September 10 but was later converted into an indefinite one. Internationally renowned environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk ended his fast on Wednesday, the 16th day of the protest, in the wake of the violence.
During a protest some people resorted to stone pelting. They set fire to a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle and other vehicles. They also targeted the premises that house the local office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ruling party at the center.
Amid the violence and retaliatory action by security forces, various rumors spread. It was publicized by linking it to the recent Gen Z movement in Nepal, which took a horrific form and toppled the government in one stroke. BJP leaders blamed a Congress ward councilor for this, to which Sonam Wangchuk responded by stating that the Congress party lacks sufficient influence there to gather 5,000 youth.
The movement to implement the Sixth Schedule in Ladakh has been gaining momentum for some time. This is the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which addresses the tribal populations of the four northeastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Assam. From a governance perspective, it makes special provisions regarding the powers of the President and Governor, types of local bodies, an alternative judicial system, and financial powers exercised through autonomous councils.
A new round of talks has been scheduled for October 6th between the Union Home Ministry and members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), but there are demands for an early start.
The LAP and KDA have been jointly leading a movement in support of their demands for four years. Furthermore, they have held several rounds of talks with the government in the past.
In response to the protest call, Leh city remained closed on Wednesday, and a large number of people gathered at the NDS Memorial Ground and then marched through the streets. The protesters raised slogans in support of the Sixth Schedule and statehood. The situation escalated when some youths pelted stones at the BJP and Hill Council headquarters.
The Union Home Ministry issued a statement on Ladakh situation in the evening and alleged that the agitating youth were incited by Sonam Wangchuk’s inflammatory speech. The government also claims that seeing the situation worsen, Sonam ended his hunger strike and left in an ambulance, when he should have tried to control the situation. The government statement also claims that the government is serious and working on the demands related to Ladakh.
Home Ministry’s point-by-point statement:
Sonam Wangchuk began his hunger strike on 10-09-2025. While it is well known that the Government of India is actively engaging with the Apex Body and the KDA on these issues. Numerous meetings were held with them through the formal channels of the High Powered Committee and sub-committees, as well as numerous informal meetings with leaders.
The dialogue process through this mechanism has yielded unprecedented results, including increasing the reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Ladakh from 45% to 84%, providing one-third reservation for women in councils, and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. Additionally, recruitment for 1,800 posts was initiated. However, some politically motivated individuals were unhappy with the progress made under the High Powered Committee and were attempting to sabotage the dialogue process.
The next meeting of the High Powered Committee is scheduled for October 6, while meetings with Ladakhi leaders are also planned for September 25 and 26. The demands for which Mr. Wangchuk was on hunger strike are integral to the discussions at the HPC. Despite several leaders urging him to end the hunger strike, he continued his hunger strike and misled the public by making inflammatory references to Arab Spring-style protests and Gen Z protests in Nepal.
On September 24, at around 11:30 a.m., a mob incited by his inflammatory speeches left the hunger strike site and attacked the office of a political party as well as the government office of the CEC of Leh.
They set fire to these offices, attacked security personnel, and set a police vehicle on fire. The unruly mob attacked policemen, injuring over 30 police/CRPF personnel. The mob continued to destroy public property and attack police personnel. In self-defense, the police had to open fire, unfortunately resulting in some casualties.
. Except for the unfortunate incidents that occurred early in the morning, the situation was under control by 4 p.m. Sonam Wangchuk broke his fast amid this violent development and left for his village in an ambulance without making any serious efforts to control the situation.
