As Ladakh Erupts, Sonam Wangchuk's Appeal For Peace

Shortly after a protest to demand statehood for Ladakh turned violent in Leh, activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his fast and said his "message of peaceful path failed". "On the 15th day of our strike, I am pained to say that several incidents of violence, arson and vandalism took place in Leh today. Two people on strike had to be hospitalised yesterday. This sparked outrage. A bandh was announced today, and thousands of youngsters hit the streets," he said in a video message on X.

Four people were killed and several injured in the intense clashes today.

Mr Wangchuk said the youth's outburst today was a "kind of Gen-Z revolution". "They have been jobless for five years. This is a recipe for social unrest. There is no democratic platform here," he said.

"I appealed to the youngsters to shun the path of violence. This nullifies my five-year struggle. We have been holding strikes, marches, and violence is not our path. I appeal to the youngsters with folded hands, we must talk to the government peacefully. And the government must hear us out. We are holding strike after strike, we walked from Leh to Delhi, but nothing was heard.

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

"Because of this, such a situation has been created. I appeal to the government to be sensitive to Ladakh and to the youngsters to stay on the path of non-violence," Mr Wangchuk said.

An engineer, innovator and education reformist, Mr Wangchuk founded the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, a campus that runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuels for cooking, lighting or heating. A recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay award, he was the inspiration for the protagonist Phunsukh Wangdu in the popular film '3 Idiots'.

The scenic town of Leh witnessed violent clashes between police and protesters this afternoon. The BJP office in Leh was attacked, stones were thrown at the police, and a police van was burnt down. Police used teargas shells and carried out a lathi charge to bring the situation under control.

Ladakh, which was part of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, became a Union Territory when the BJP-led Centre revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories, Ladakh being one.

The move was initially welcomed. But over the past three years, Ladakh has seen growing unrest against the Centre's rule, and residents have repeatedly called for statehood and constitutional safeguards for their land, culture, and resources.

Leaders from Ladakh, including Mr Wangchuk, have held several rounds of talks with the Centre, but there has been no breakthrough yet. The protesters have four demands: statehood for Ladakh, Sixth Schedule under the Constitution, job reservation, a separate public service commission, and two parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram through autonomous district councils. This is aimed at safeguarding tribal rights, cultures, and resources.