Protecting Ladakh: Resisting the government’s efforts to silence the people’s demands
Nov 01, 2025By PUCL EdItorial Team
(Summary of the ‘PUCL Dialogues’ hosted on 13th October 2025)
In a session of ‘PUCL Dialogues’ hosted on 13th October, 2025, seven speakers from Leh and Kargil were invited to share their perspectives on the people’s protests, the incident on 24th September 2025 and the way forward for the people of Ladakh.
Sajjad Kargili of the Kargil Democratic Alliance lay out the context of the movement, and explained the nature of disempowerment of the people of Ladakh since it was made into a Union Territory in 2019. He said that there were various claims being made at that time, that promised the people of Ladakh more autonomy and development. “However, there were three layers of disempowerment that took place.
First, a political disempowerment. When we had the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, there were MLAs and MLCs who represented the voices of the people of Ladakh. There was a medium between the people and the government of India. Unfortunately, after the bifurcation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the government has failed to ensure the representation of people’s voices and demands. Bureaucrats who come from other parts of the country are taking all the decisions without the consent of the people of Ladakh. In the history of independent India, Ladakh is the first example in which a state has been downgraded into a Union Territory, which is an attack on the federal structure and our diversity. Ladakh has lost its voice and representation.
Second, the protections granted to our lands and our culture were removed. Under Article 370 section 35(a), earlier we had some rights. We had a law like Ailan 38 (of 1932, of the regime of Maharaja Hari Singh), which allowed people to cultivate on barren lands. But now, even this law has been taken away, because all powers have been shifted from the Tehsildar to the Deputy Commissioners. After the downgrading of Ladakh into a Union Territory, the Government of India had promised that they will give tribal status for Ladakh and grant Sixth Schedule to us. This has remained an unfulfilled promise.
The third layer of disempowerment is that we are denied jobs. Earlier we had a Public Service Commission and a very empowered Higher Education Department and so on. But for the last 6 years, not a single Ladakhi has gotten a gazetted post in Ladakh. No recruitment has taken place under Public Service Commission. The government has failed to give us jobs. So we have lost our presence in the bureaucracy as well.
Therefore, by denying us political representation, land safeguards and bureaucratic representation – the people of Ladakh have been made voiceless. The leaders in Leh and Kargil have realised that we should forget our differences, come together and fight for our existence. We have a four-point agenda –
1. Full statehood for Ladakh, so that Ladakh is governed by Ladakhis.
2. Inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
3. Institution of a Public Service Commission for Ladakh
4. Separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil regions.
Ladakhis today are united, and are fighting for our very existence. If we will not rise up today, we will lose everything. We are in a very vulnerable condition. Within 2 years, 83,000 people have been given domicile in Jammu and Kashmir. If this is repeated in Ladakh, we will lose our demography. To protect our demography, our democracy, employment rights, it is our collective responsibility to fight for all four of our demands.
Additionally, after 24th September, we have seen with our own eyes that there is no accountability in Ladakh. Even BJP leaders have said that the crowd was unarmed, and yet, the police opened fire on unarmed protestors and killed four of our youth. Many were injured, many were detained including Sonam Wangchukji. At the same time, we have seen rape-accused, murder-accused criminals, those who have openly threatened the Constitution, are roaming free in the country. We have examples like Kapil Mishra who have openly threatened the police during the Delhi riots enjoying the post of a Minister. But Sonam Wangchuk, who was protesting peacefully in a Gandhian way, has been arrested and been sent to Jodhpur Central Jail. On behalf of the people of Leh and Kargil, we are demanding the immediate release of all arrested people including Sonam Wangchuk, and unconditionally drop all the charges.
We will not fear NSA, UAPA and other such draconian laws. We will continue our struggle and I hope we emerge victorious.”
Kunzes Dolma, Vice President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, addressed the webinar while standing outside the District Jail, and said that they have been working relentlessly to ensure the release of all those who have been detained and arrested. She shared that the Ladakh Buddhist Association has always been in the forefront of any movement that has taken place for the benefit of Ladakh. She said that while it is mostly women who come forward to participate in mass gatherings, men are involved in the decision making. “More voices women are needed in the decision making level, in the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.”
Tsering Nordon Shunu, an educator and women’s rights activist based in Leh shared her concerns as a citizen of Leh. She said while a long struggle led to the reservation of 33% of seats in the Autonomous Hill Councils for women, these councils have been rendered powerless today. “As a youth, and a woman, I feel a lot of aggression and helplessness in myself as a concerned citizen of Ladakh. What unfolded on 24th September was something unimaginable. We lost four lives that day, and it was not just four families who grieved, but the whole of Ladakh felt collective grief for them. Everyone was mourning. The most unfortunate part is that there was no political leadership that held them accountable.”
She also said that the strength of the people’s movement of Ladakh is the collective leadership of the people from Leh and Kargil. She stressed that mainstream media and people from the rest of India must stop labelling the people of Ladakh as anti-nationals, agents of China, agents of Pakistan etc. “There are several examples of Ladakhis proving their patriotism for India, they have given their lives for the nation. Our demands are well within the bounds of the Constitution. I always say that calling Sonal Wangchukji anti-national, CIA agent, Chinese agent or accusing him of having links with Pakistan is an insult to every Ladakhi.”
“Mr. Sonam Wangchuk was spearheading our movement, and he is behind bars now. We collectively demand his release. There are claims that peace has been restored in Ladakh. But our leaders and student leaders are behind bars. Is this the kind of peace you want to propagate? Discussions regarding our demands have been taking place for so many years. It is time we see them being turned to reality. All political prisoners must be released.”
Ashish Kothari, environmentalist, author and activist, shared his analysis of what he thinks are the reasons behind the unfulfilled promises of the state. “To my mind, the reasons also have to do with the abrogation of Article 370. It is for the land, mineral resources and the possible commercial profits that can be made from these regions. Under Article 370 and the Ladakh Hill Council Act, it provided quite a high level of protection, especially for the governance of land and other resources to be determined by people within Ladakh itself. Since 2019, much of the control over land has shifted to New Delhi. Decisions on things like ‘nautod’ which means new uses of land which have not been previously used, used to be in the hands of local officials along with the headman of the village traditionally called ‘Goba’. These powers are now given to the district commissioner or the divisional commissioner.”
He also drew attention to the significance of the vast stretches of commons in Ladakh. “To an uninitiated person, it may seem alright to hand over the vast tracts of land which ‘apparently nobody is using’, for industrialisation. But that is a misnomer, it is misleading. Traditional livelihoods, especially pastoralism, require these large areas of land for them to be sustainable.”
He gave an example of a solar project planned in Changthang, the high altitude plateau in Ladakh, which is predominantly used by nomadic pastoralists, for yaks, pashmina goats and sheep. “48,000 acres of land is now allotted for a solar project. Beyond this land allotted for the panels, there is going to be huge amounts of land going for transmission lines or evacuation lines. They are also thinking of building a labour colony, bringing in 30 to 40,000 labourers in a landscape in which the population is currently one fifth of that. This is just one project. There are many others – four or five solar projects, a railway line, highways etc.”
He also said that it is extremely worrying that they anticipate allocations of land for mining in Ladakh, as the Geological Survey of India has found rare earth minerals. The third issue he highlighted was tourism. He said that while tourism was crucial for the economy of Ladakh, the scale and nature of the planned tourism is bound to cause devastation to the ecology of the region, due to solid waste generation, vehicular pollution etc. “An old airport is being upgraded into a capacity of 2 million, which is six times the total population of Ladakh. As of now, local tourist operators have refused to allow any large mega hotel chains to come in, but it is a matter of time before all the big chains make their way into Ladakh.”
Kothari also highlighted that Ladakh has some of the most unique and in some cases endemic wildlife populations, not found anywhere else, or found in very small numbers elsewhere like the black neck crane, the snow leopard any more. “There is a proposal for denotifying some wildlife protected areas, for possible commercial use.”
The final issue he highlighted was water. “Ladakh is water scarce. The main sources of water are glaciers and rivers. But many villages are already shifting further down, because glaciers are no longer giving them the amount of water they need.” While some of this can be attributed to global climate change, the addition of various other factors such as increasing vehicular traffic, increasing number of tourists, planning of large projects that will require huge amounts of water, will be denying the people and wildlife of Ladakh their right to water.
He said that even if Ladakh is included in the Sixth Schedule, the movement must continue to promote resistance against such mega infrastructure projects. Instead of importing mainstream development ideas from the rest of the world, the localised alternatives must be promoted. “Ladakhis themselves have come up with some of the most incredible alternatives, some sustaining traditional patterns of agriculture, livelihoods based on local products, alternative ways of construction, and innovations including those that Sonam Wangchuk came up with.”
He ended his presentation saying that Ladakh also requires significant empowerment of local village assemblies, to ensure that such alternative pathways to well-being are possible, and that wildlife and ecology are also centred.
Tsewang Rigzin, a journalist based out of Leh, shared the incidents of 24th September, 2025. “In the last six years, I have seen all these protests and demonstrations taking place very peacefully. Even on 24th September, it was initially very peaceful. I can never forget that horrific day. I was inside the premises where Sonam Wangchuk and others were sitting, and we were suddenly told to run away. We had to climb big walls and jump over fences. I could hear so many blasts and firings. While the violence was condemnable, I do not know how they could respond by firing live bullets at our own citizens, at people who have been guarding the country from two hostile nations for the last 48 years.” Shockingly, Rigzin shared that when the four youth were murdered, journalists were not allowed to cover their funerals. Many friends and relatives were not allowed to attend the funerals.
Rigzin also drew attention to the fact that many journalists from national and international media were looking for a Chinese or a Pakistani, rather than looking for the real issues of the people of Ladakh.
“It may look normal and peaceful now, but we know that it is not really normal. People are still locked up in jail, and prohibitory orders under BNSS Section 163 are still imposed. Even if we want to take out a peaceful candle light march to demand the release of the detainees, we cannot do it. So it is not yet normal.”
Lasu Shafi, member of the Leh Bar Association, asserted that the vandalism that took place on 24th September was unprovoked, unplanned, and it happened on spur of the moment. He said that while the government is alleging that it was instigated and premeditated, and provoked by Sonam Wangchuk, is false. He shared that totally 73 people have been arrested, and 42 people have been released on bail.
“The people’s movement in Ladakh could have been an example for the whole world, because for six years, no untoward incidents had taken place. But the government’s attitude, and refusal to meet with the LAB and KDA for talks is unfortunate. It is up to the government now to come up with confidence building measures to diffuse the deadlock.”
“Cases against protestors must be withdrawn and a judicial inquiry led by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge, must be initiated. Baseless allegations against Sonam Wangchuk have made. It is also very unfortunate that the government has failed to announce any compensation for the next of kin of the youth killed in the indiscriminate firing by the forces.” He reiterated that since the protestors were not carrying dangerous weapons or knives, and were only pelting stones, there were thousands of other ways to control the mob, such as using even water canons.
He also shared that the police applied for the cancellation of bail of the prisoners who spoke to journalists about having undergone torture in prison. “There are two more women, some students and other activists who continue to be in jail now.”