I Ahmed Wani
Ladakh, long known for its calm and resilience, was jolted on September 24. A peaceful hunger strike in Leh demanding statehood and protections under the Sixth Schedule spiraled into violence. Four people died, more than 60 were injured, and the BJP office was set ablaze. Police vehicles were damaged, and security forces were forced to act. The question now is: who turned genuine demands into a bloody confrontation?
The backdrop is important. Since Ladakh became a Union Territory in 2019, residents have feared losing land, culture, and jobs. Calls for statehood and Sixth Schedule status united Leh and Kargil. Talks with a High-Powered Committee were already scheduled for October 6 and even advanced to September 25–26 at the protesters’ request. Dialogue was on the table. Yet violence erupted.
Government sources place responsibility on activist Sonam Wangchuk, who began a 15-day hunger strike on September 10. His campaign resonated widely. But officials say his rhetoric—invoking the Arab Spring and recent youth-led protests in Nepal—crossed a line. They allege he urged protesters to wear masks and hoodies, suggesting planning behind the clashes. After the violence, Wangchuk described events as a “Gen Z revolution,” but the Home Ministry called his words “provocative” and “incitement.”
Questions also swirl around his personal motives. Reports point to financial troubles in his organisations. Critics allege the protests provided a diversion, while jobless Ladakhi youth became foot soldiers for a different agenda. His quick departure from the protest site in an ambulance after clashes has further fueled criticism.
The Congress Party’s role is also under scrutiny. BJP leaders accuse Congress councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag of leading mobs that attacked the BJP office and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council. The timing, with local elections weeks away, has raised suspicions. Congress leaders had hinted at confrontations earlier and later seized on the violence to attack the government, with Rahul Gandhi calling Ladakh proof against Modi’s “peace and progress” claims.
For many in Ladakh, this unrest is especially painful. The region had largely remained peaceful even when the Kashmir Valley was in turmoil. Now, just as Kashmir is seeing relative calm, Ladakh is being dragged into conflict. The echoes of other recent incidents, like the attack on tourists in Pahalgam, cannot be ignored. In Leh, however, the trigger is rooted in identity and opportunity.
The victims are not the young Ladakhis who took to the streets. Their concerns are genuine. The government had shown willingness to negotiate. But others exploited those concerns for politics and personal gain. The Home Ministry is now investigating funding trails, alleged planning, and political links, with possible arrests under strict laws. A curfew remains in Leh.
Lt. Governor Kavinder Gupta has appealed for calm. Yet calm will only return once accountability is clear. Who distributed masks? Who organised the mobs? Who benefits from dead civilians, a burnt office, and rising distrust?
Ladakh deserves answers. Its youth deserve dignity, not manipulation. Its people deserve protection, not exploitation. For the lives lost and the peace shattered, the truth must come out. Only then can Ladakh, the land of quiet strength, shine again.
