LEH, SEPTEMBER 26: In a dramatic escalation of tensions in Ladakh, renowned climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on Friday and booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA), two days after violent protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards left four people dead and around 90 injured. Officials confirmed that Wangchuk, a central figure in Ladakh’s five-year-long agitation for greater political rights, was taken into custody from his native village of Ulyaktopo by a police team led by Ladakh DGP S. D. Singh Jamwal. Soon after his arrest, authorities shifted him out of Ladakh and imposed a total suspension of mobile internet services in Leh district as a precautionary measure.
The arrest came unexpectedly, just hours before Wangchuk was scheduled to address a press conference in Leh. His absence from the venue raised concerns among organizers, who later learned that he had been detained. The press conference proceeded as planned, during which the Leh Apex Body (LAB) acknowledged that the September 24 violence had been triggered by youth who “went out of control” but firmly rejected claims of any foreign involvement. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay demanded a judicial probe into the incident and accused police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel of firing indiscriminately on protesters without employing standard crowd-control measures such as water cannons or warning shots.
The protests erupted amid growing frustration over delays in dialogue with the Centre. The ongoing agitation, which includes a 35-day hunger strike launched by Wangchuk on September 10, has been pressing a four-point agenda that includes full statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Although the Centre has scheduled talks for October 6, the deteriorating health of two hunger strike participants and a demand for earlier negotiations sparked unrest on September 24, when an unexpectedly large crowd gathered and violence broke out.
An uneasy calm has prevailed in Ladakh since the violence, with curfew in place for the third consecutive day. Police reported that the overall situation remained peaceful on Thursday, with restrictions likely to be eased to allow people access to essential supplies. More than 50 people have been detained, and prohibitory orders banning the assembly of five or more persons remain in force in Leh, Kargil, and other major towns. A high-level team from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also arrived in Leh to assess the situation on the ground.
Wangchuk’s arrest follows the MHA’s decision to revoke the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) — an organization he founded — over alleged financial irregularities. The move has been widely criticized by opposition parties, civil society groups, and human rights advocates as politically motivated and aimed at silencing dissent.
Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, lashed out at the government, accusing it of spreading false narratives to malign her husband and branding him “anti-national.” She alleged that police ransacked their home and treated Wangchuk “like a criminal without any reason.” Calling the arrest an attack on democracy, she said, “If this is how intellectuals and innovators are treated, then God save this country from becoming anything but a Vishwaguru.”
Opposition parties across the political spectrum condemned the arrest in strong terms. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called it “unfortunate” and accused the Centre of betraying promises made to Ladakh’s people during the 2020 Hill Council elections. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the arrest was meant to “divert attention from the BJP’s abysmal failure to maintain law and order” and accused the party of reneging on its pledge to grant Ladakh Sixth Schedule status. Trinamool Congress leader Sagarika Ghose said the government “has no policy, no outreach, and no trust-building,” while CPI(M) MP John Brittas warned that “such repressive actions will only deepen unrest.”
Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa demanded a judicial inquiry into the police firing, describing the violence as an “outburst of frustration” among unemployed youth. While condemning the arson by protesters, he questioned why police resorted to “targeted firing” instead of using non-lethal methods and dismissed allegations of an external conspiracy. LAB legal advisor Haji Ghulam Mustafa called the arrest “an unwise decision” that could “hurt the people of Ladakh emotionally” and derail ongoing negotiations with the Centre.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described the situation as evidence of a country “passing through a difficult phase” and warned that “dictatorship is at its peak.”