Arrest of prominent activist by Indian police further fuel protests in Ladakh

Indian police have arrested a prominent activist in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, just days after authorities accused him of inciting violent protests that left four people dead and dozens injured.

Local officials confirmed that Sonam Wangchuk was taken into custody on September 26, shortly before he was due to address a news conference, according to reporting by Deutsche Welle.

The unrest this week centered in Leh, Ladakh’s main city, where Gen Z-led demonstrations turned violent. Protesters set fire to the regional office of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and torched police vehicles after dispersing from the site of Wangchuk’s 14-day hunger strike.

Officers responded with live ammunition, saying they had acted in self-defence. Authorities then imposed a curfew across several districts and suspended mobile internet services in Leh as tensions persisted.

Ladakh, home to both Buddhist and Muslim communities, has faced heightened political uncertainty since 2019, when Modi’s government revoked its autonomy by splitting it from Jammu and Kashmir and bringing it under federal control.

Demonstrators are pressing for statehood, constitutional protections for Indigenous groups, and reserved jobs for locals. Negotiations between Ladakhi leaders and the central government have been ongoing since last year, with the next round scheduled for October 6. The protests in Leh, however, escalated into deadly clashes, with Al Jazeera reporting that at least four people have been killed and dozens more wounded.

India’s interior ministry has accused Wangchuk of “provoking crowds” with his speeches and has revoked the licence of his NGO, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, over alleged violations. Wangchuk, who ended his hunger strike after the violence, has rejected the allegations, saying the unrest was a reflection of local anger toward New Delhi.

For the past six years, thousands in Ladakh, led by local civic groups, have staged peaceful marches and hunger strikes demanding greater constitutional safeguards, statehood, and the right to elect a local government.

By Nazrin Sadigova