Violent Protests Erupt in India’s Ladakh Over Statehood demand

By Atish
America News World
September 25, 2025

LEH, India — In a dramatic escalation of long-simmering grievances, protests demanding full statehood for the Himalayan region of Ladakh spiraled into deadly violence here on Wednesday, leaving at least four people dead and over 60 injured after police opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators. The unrest saw protesters torch the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle, prompting authorities to impose a strict curfew and ban gatherings of more than four people in Leh, the region’s capital.

Leh Ladakh Protest: Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

The chaos unfolded amid a shutdown called by student and youth organizations affiliated with the Leh Apex Body (LAB), a coalition pushing for constitutional safeguards including statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, which grants autonomy to tribal areas. Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had led a 15-day hunger strike since September 10 to highlight these demands, abruptly ended his fast following the clashes, urging the “Gen Z” protesters to abandon violence. “This only damages our cause,” Wangchuk posted on X, lamenting the deaths and attributing the outburst to “pent-up anger of the last five-six years.”

Eyewitnesses described a peaceful sit-in at the NDS Memorial Ground devolving into mayhem when a faction of young protesters broke away, marching through Leh’s streets while chanting slogans and hurling stones at government buildings. Flames engulfed the BJP headquarters, with thick black smoke billowing over the town as security forces responded with tear gas, baton charges, and eventually live ammunition. Police sources confirmed 56 injuries, including five critical cases from bullets and pellets, while the LAB claimed three to five young lives lost in the firing.

_{Smoke billows out from the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Office as it set on fire during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)}

The violence erupted just days after two elderly hunger strikers, aged 72 and 62, collapsed and were hospitalized, intensifying calls for immediate dialogue with New Delhi. Talks between the Centre and LAB representatives are slated for October 6, but protesters accused the government of stalling. Sources indicated the Home Ministry had summoned a Ladakh delegation to Delhi on September 26 for preliminary discussions, yet frustration boiled over. “The next elections are approaching, and promises from the last ones remain unfulfilled,” Wangchuk told reporters, referencing unkept pledges on local job reservations and separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil.

Ladakh’s push for greater autonomy traces back to 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and bifurcated it into two union territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—stripping the latter of its autonomous hill councils. Initially celebrated by Ladakhis for escaping Kashmiri dominance, the region now decries direct rule from Delhi as eroding cultural, environmental, and land protections vital to its 80% tribal population. Demands include statehood to restore legislative powers, Sixth Schedule status for elected tribal bodies, and safeguards against outsiders exploiting mining and tourism.

The Indian government swiftly blamed Wangchuk’s “provocative statements” for inciting the mob, with the Home Ministry issuing a statement decrying the violence as a derailment of ongoing engagements with LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). Officials pointed to Wangchuk’s recent references to Nepal’s youth-led uprisings as a “blueprint,” suggesting a “sinister plot for political gain.” BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya amplified this on X, accusing a local Congress councillor, Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, of leading the arson at the party office and labeling the unrest “Congress-sponsored.”

Political reactions poured in from across India. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, whose region also awaits statehood restoration, posted on X: “Ladakh wasn’t even promised statehood—they celebrated UT status in 2019 and now feel betrayed. Imagine how we in J&K feel after demanding it peacefully.” Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti called for a “sincere appraisal” of post-2019 changes, warning that “Leh’s peaceful protests turning violent signals a disturbing shift.” The KDA extended solidarity, terming the shutdown a reflection of the “failure” of union territory governance.

As night fell, Leh’s streets—usually bustling with tourists drawn to its stark Buddhist monasteries and jagged peaks—lay eerily silent under curfew. The administration canceled the final day of the Ladakh Festival 2025, a cultural extravaganza meant to showcase the region’s heritage. Wangchuk, echoing global youth movements, warned of border instability if tensions fester, given Ladakh’s proximity to China and Pakistan. “We fear more illness, more anger, an explosive situation,” he said, vowing to press on through “peace and struggle.”

International observers, including the United Nations, expressed concern over the humanitarian toll, drawing parallels to broader autonomy struggles in disputed borderlands. With India’s general elections looming in 2029, the Ladakh flare-up underscores deepening fault lines in Modi’s federal model, where centralization clashes with regional aspirations. For now, the high-altitude cold desert remains a tinderbox, its youth demanding not just statehood, but a voice in their fragile future.