KEY POINTS
- Ladakh erupts in rare protests near China border.
- Four civilians killed after security forces opened fire on protesters.
- Anger traces back to India’s 2019 revocation of Article 370.
- Ladakh separated from Jammu and Kashmir, made Union Territory without assembly.
- Residents demand statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule.
- Activist Sonam Wangchuk leads movement backed by Buddhist and Muslim groups.
- Wangchuk arrested under National Security Act after deadly clashes.
- Curfew, internet shutdown, and mass detentions deepen public anger.
- Locals accuse New Delhi of betrayal and broken promises.
- Experts warn alienating Ladakh weakens India’s sensitive China frontier.
ISLAMABAD: Nestled close to China’s border in Indian-Illegally Occupied Kashmir, Ladakh has long been regarded as one of New Delhi’s most loyal regions. But for the first time in decades, the area has erupted in violent protests, according to a report by BBC Urdu.
Post-370 fault lines
Demonstrations that began peacefully turned deadly when Indian security forces opened fire on protesters, killing four civilians.
The incident plunged Ladakh into turmoil, exposing deep-rooted frustrations that trace back to the Indian Parliament’s 2019 decision to revoke Article 370 of the Constitution—a move hailed by the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its supporters as “Modi’s masterstroke.”
While the revocation drew little visible resistance across Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir, simmering discontent in Ladakh has now exploded into widespread public anger.
BBC Urdu notes that under the decision of 5 August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was divided, separating Ladakh and turning it into a Union Territory without its own assembly—unlike Jammu and Kashmir, which retained a legislative body.
If you point guns at people, deploy forces, shut down the internet, and then call it normalcy—that’s wrong.” – Chering Dorjay Lakruk
Since then, Ladakh’s residents have been demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for their identity, culture, and fragile environment under Schedule Six of the Indian Constitution.
Unheard in New Delhi
Leading that call is local scientist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has become the face of a years-long movement jointly backed by the region’s Buddhist Leh Apex Body and Muslim Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
Over the years, Wangchuk has gone on multiple hunger strikes and even marched from Leh to New Delhi. As BBC Urdu reports, the Indian government held several rounds of talks with him and his colleagues last year—all of which ended without progress.
Shots in the snow
Last month, Wangchuk and his supporters returned to protest, staging a two-week hunger strike at Leh’s Shaheed Park. When two elderly participants collapsed from exhaustion on 23 September, outrage spread among local youth.
The next day, hundreds marched towards the headquarters of the local administrative council. Police say the crowd began pelting stones, prompting security forces to open fire “in self-defence.”
All these demands are constitutional and legal. But the way people were fired upon, curfew imposed, and dozens jailed has created immense anger among the youth.” – Rigzin Angmo, journalist and activist
But Chering Dorjay Lakruk, a leader of the Apex Body, told BBC Urdu that the firing only enraged protesters further, who then stormed government buildings and the local BJP office.
The clashes left four civilians dead, including a former army officer. Authorities swiftly imposed a curfew across Ladakh and arrested Wangchuk under the National Security Act, transferring him to a prison in Rajasthan.
For two weeks, the region has remained on edge. The curfew is partially eased during the day, but gatherings of more than four people are banned, and mobile and internet services remain suspended.
Peace or pretence
Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor BD Mishra insists that the situation is now “normal.” Speaking to BBC Urdu, he said: “The people of Ladakh are fully cooperating with the administration. We’ve relaxed curfew hours, schools and colleges have reopened, and commercial activity has resumed. But there are some elements trying to provoke people for their petty political gains.”
However, Chering Dorjay Lakruk, Vice President of the Leh Apex Body, told BBC Urdu that Ladakhis are furious over what they see as New Delhi’s betrayal of promises. He called Wangchuk’s arrest “illegal and unjustified.”
“If you point guns at people, deploy forces, shut down the internet, and then call it normalcy—that’s wrong,” Lakruk said. “We weren’t committing a crime; we were peacefully reminding the Indian government of its own commitments.”
The Indian Home Ministry had announced another round of talks with the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance for 6 October, but both groups boycotted the dialogue, demanding the release of all detainees—including Wangchuk—and judicial inquiries into the killings.
Fragile land, fierce voices
According to BBC Urdu, a majority of Ladakh’s young people support Wangchuk’s movement. Journalist and activist Rigzin Angmo said: “All these demands are constitutional and legal. But the way people were fired upon, curfew imposed, and dozens jailed has created immense anger among the youth.” She added that New Delhi should correct its mistakes by acknowledging Ladakh’s legitimate concerns.
With a population of under three hundred thousand, Ladakh would be destroyed if uncontrolled industrialisation begins. Our youth are jobless, our mountains fragile. That’s why we seek constitutional guarantees—within the framework of the Constitution itself.” – Mutasif Ahmed, social activist
Ladakh’s young generation, deeply protective of its fragile ecosystem, limited resources, and cultural heritage, is demanding implementation of Schedule Six, which restricts outside investment and reserves local job opportunities for residents.
Social activist Mutasif Ahmed told BBC Urdu that Ladakh’s people fear losing their very identity to investors pouring in from other Indian states.
“With a population of under three hundred thousand, Ladakh would be destroyed if uncontrolled industrialisation begins. Our youth are jobless, our mountains fragile. That’s why we seek constitutional guarantees—within the framework of the Constitution itself.”
Another activist, Diskit Angmo, a supporter of Wangchuk, said: “We are demanding a judicial inquiry to find out who incited the violence that day. Our movement has always been peaceful and rooted in non-violence. We’ll continue protesting peacefully until our demands are fulfilled.”
Echoes of betrayal
As BBC Urdu reports, Wangchuk’s arrest has split public opinion in India. While BJP supporters on social media branded him a “Pakistani and Chinese agent” after the Ladakh administration accused him of being part of a foreign conspiracy, others argued that his detention harms India’s national interests.
Chering Dorjay Lakruk admits that when Article 370 was revoked and Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory, locals initially celebrated. “We were told rivers of milk would flow here. But now we realise we were safer under Article 370—at least it guaranteed the very rights we are now demanding.”
Before its abrogation, Article 370 barred outsiders from purchasing land or applying for government jobs in Jammu, Kashmir, or Ladakh. But in 2019, the Indian Parliament repealed this constitutional protection.
Alienating the borderlands
According to BBC Urdu, Phunchok Stobdan, a former Indian ambassador to Kyrgyzstan and a security expert based in New Delhi—himself a Ladakhi—believes the Modi government has mishandled the region’s affairs.
Our 3,500-kilometre boundary with China has been tense for years. How can you afford to alienate the very people who serve as your eyes and ears along such a sensitive frontier?” – Phunchok Stobdan, former Indian ambassador
“Let’s not forget Ladakh borders China,” he said in a phone interview with BBC Urdu. “Our 3,500-kilometre boundary with China has been tense for years. How can you afford to alienate the very people who serve as your eyes and ears along such a sensitive frontier?”
He urged the government to consult with Ladakh’s people and address their concerns, arguing that converting Ladakh into a Union Territory and handing its administration to officers from faraway states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Odisha was a mistake.
“The bill creating Ladakh as a Union Territory states that the Lieutenant Governor will have formal advisors—but in practice, there’s only a governor above and non-local officers below. Discontent was inevitable.”
He added that what began as a political slogan about Schedule Six, jobs, and environmental protection has now turned into an emotional movement—and that’s not in the national interest.
Delhi’s reluctant promise
The Sixth Schedule was added to India’s Constitution in 1949 to grant autonomy to tribal populations in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura.
Although one of its clauses earlier allowed Ladakh to form local administrative councils, people now want the same guarantees as those states—the power to legislate independently on agriculture, environment, tourism, and local economy—rights not possible under the Union Territory framework.
Protections under the Sixth Schedule go beyond those in Article 371, which offers limited safeguards to states like Nagaland and Mizoram, preventing the federal government from passing land or environmental laws without local consent.
As BBC Urdu reports, India’s Home Minister recently assured representatives of the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance that the government would consider extending protections under Article 371. Yet Ladakh’s population remains firm on its original demands.
Although 97 per cent of Ladakh’s residents are ethnically tribal, the Indian Home Ministry maintains that the Sixth Schedule was designed exclusively for northeastern states.
