Ladakh violence: 4 dead, 80 injured; Sonam Wangchuk calls off strike

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his fortnight-long hunger strike demanding statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh on Wednesday (September 24) after a deadly violence erupted in Leh, the region's capital.

At least four people were killed while 80, half of them police officers, sustained injuries, official sources said. The death toll could go up further since the conditions of some of the injured were said to be critical.

In a press release issued on Wednesday night, the Centre, however, said that the situation was under control.

Wangchuk's appeal to youth

Earlier in the day, in a video message on social media platform X, Wangchuk condemned the state of affairs in Leh, calling it “VERY SAD NEWS”. He appealed to youth to stop the “nonsense,” saying it was only damaging the cause.

Also read: Wangchuk appeals for 'peace' as Gen-Z protest turns violent

“VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,” he said in Hindi.

"Friends, it is extremely sad today, on Day 15 of our protest, Leh saw such massive violence. Yesterday, two out of those who had been fasting for 35 days had to be hospitalised and their condition was serious. This made people angry and a shutdown was called in Leh. Several youngsters were out on the streets," Wangshuck said, adding that the protest is a "Gen Z revolution", a term which became popular recently by youth-led demonstrations in Nepal that saw its government crumble.

VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH
My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause.#LadakhAnshan pic.twitter.com/CzTNHoUkoC

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) September 24, 2025

The activist said youth in the region have been unemployed for five years and that he had been warning for a long time that keeping the youth unemployed and taking away their democratic rights causes unrest. He said there are many issues to talk about but, he would take them up later.

Also read: Omar Abdullah reacts to Ladakh protests, says J&K feels betrayed over statehood

He then appealed to the youth not to shun the path of peace, saying violence would render his years of effort meaningless.

Arson, widespread violence

The activist also stressed that it was time to engage in dialogue with the government. To the authorities, Wangchuk said they should not ignore the message of peace.

Young protesters engaged in arson and vandalism and targeted the headquarters of the BJP and the Hill Council, and set vehicles on fire. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed across Leh, and they lobbed tear-gas shells to disperse the protesters, officials added.

The protesters clashed with the police, and a section of them set ablaze the hall of the Ladakh Hill Council Assembly, NDTV reported, citing the deputy commissioner of Leh.

Centre blames Wangchuk

The central government, meanwhile, blamed Wangchuk for the violence, saying the mob action was triggered by his “provocative statements” and that certain “politically motivated” people could not accept the progress that the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakhi groups saw.

Also read: Four years of protests and Centre’s apathy: Why Ladakh exploded

“In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike, he continued with it and misled the people through provocative mentions of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

📢 Press Release on Ladakh

⭐ A hunger strike was started by Sh Sonam Wangchuk on 10-09-2025 stating the demand of 6th schedule and statehood for Ladakh. It is well known that Government of India has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance on…

— PIB - Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) September 24, 2025

“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…It is clear that the mob was incited by Shri Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements,” it added.

The ministry also urged the public not to circulate old and provocative videos in both media and social media and said the Indian government is “committed to the aspiration of people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards”.

The home ministry said the hunger strike was started by Wangchuk on September 10, pressing the demand for Ladakh's inclusion in the Sixth schedule and statehood.

Also read: What led to Leh protests and subsequent violence? |Capital Beat

“It is well known that the Government of India has been actively engaged with the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance. Series of meetings were held with them through formal channel of High Powered Committee (HPC) as well as sub-committee and multiple informal meetings with leaders,” the ministry’s statement said.

“However, certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress made under HPC and have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process,” it added.

The next meeting of the HPC has been scheduled for October 6, while meetings are also planned on Thursday (September 25) and Friday (September 26) with the leaders from Ladakh.

Political battle

Ladakh’s Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Kavinder Gupta called the events heart-wrenching. According to him, everyone has the right to speak up in a peaceful manner in a democracy, but what happened in the UT on Wednesday was not spontaneous and there was a conspiracy behind it.

Also read: Ladakh statehood: Sonam Wangchuk begins 35-day fast in Leh

“We will not spare those people who have spoiled the atmosphere here,” he said while addressing the people of Ladakh, adding that curfew has been imposed as a precautionary measure to prevent more casualties.

Asserting that he stood with the people of the UT, especially the youth, the L-G urged them to help restore peace in Ladakh, which last saw major violence on August 27, 1989, during an agitation demanding UT status that left three persons dead in police firing.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) youth wing called for the protest after two of the 15 people, who were on a 35-day hunger strike since September 10, were shifted to a hospital because their condition deteriorated on Tuesday (September 23) evening.

Congress leader booked

Congress leader and councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag was booked for allegedly making a provocative speech at the hunger-strike venue on Tuesday.

Also read: Will career politician Kavinder Gupta be a better LG? Ladakh uneasy but hopeful

The BJP accused the Congress of instigating the violence, saying it was part of the Opposition party’s sinister motive to create situations in the country similar to Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines.

“Today in Ladakh, an attempt was made to portray some protests as being led by 'Gen Z' but when an investigation was carried out, it was found that this was not a Gen Z protest but actually a Congress protest,” BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters in Delhi.

Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said, “It needs to be handled with sensitivity and a forensic examination of why and how a peaceful protest suddenly turned violent.

Also read: Ladakh Reservation Act amended to cap reservation at 85 pc; EWS excluded

"A clinical analysis of the ground situation is imperative, especially identification of the impulses that went in that turned the protest violent and who really are these violent protesters,” he said in a post on X.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the situation in Leh should be an eye-opener on how people of Jammu and Kashmir feel about the denial of statehood, even though Ladakh had not been promised one.

The Left attacked the Narendra Modi government for the violence.

Why Ladakhis want separate state

Ladakh was previously a part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state. On August 5, 2019, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and turned it into a UT. Ladakh was also carved out as a separate UT.

Also read: Stripped of J-K quota, no infra at home, Ladakhi students on protest path

The Constitution's Sixth Schedule, which is meant for the tribal population of the four northeast states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam, makes special provisions in terms of governance, powers of the president and the governor, type of local bodies, alternate judicial mechanisms and financial powers exercised through autonomous councils.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have been jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years in support of their demands and have held several rounds of talks with the government in the past.

(With inputs from agencies)