Ladakh statehood row: Curfew relaxed first time in Leh after deadly protests

Srinagar: Curfew was relaxed for the first time on Saturday in Leh, three days after violent protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and Sixth Schedule protections left four people dead and over 70 injured.

Authorities announced a phased relaxation to provide temporary relief to residents. The curfew was lifted in the Old City from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, followed by the New Area from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

Police officials said the situation would be reviewed before announcing further relaxations.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Kavinder Gupta chaired a high-level security review meeting to assess the law-and-order situation across the Union Territory.

The meeting emphasised heightened vigilance, closer coordination between security agencies, and proactive measures to ensure peace and public order.

The unrest has been further stoked by the detention of renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA). Wangchuk, a Ramon Magsaysay Award winner celebrated for his environmental innovations, was arrested on Friday and shifted to Jodhpur.

His detention has triggered widespread outrage, with political parties and civil society groups expressing concern.

According to local leaders involved in the agitation, over 50 individuals have been detained since the clashes began.

The protests, which escalated into violence on Wednesday, were largely led by young activists, many of them first-time demonstrators. Their demands center on the restoration of Ladakh’s statehood and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides special protections to tribal communities.

Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory but without an elected legislature. While the move initially sparked celebrations in Leh, discontent soon spread as residents feared losing land, jobs, and cultural identity.

The demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards has been at the forefront of Ladakh’s politics ever since. A coalition of social, religious, and political groups under the banner of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has repeatedly pressed the Centre to protect Ladakh’s demographic character and grant it meaningful autonomy.

Despite several rounds of dialogue with the Union government, the demands remain unmet. The latest protests—led by a younger generation—signal growing frustration with what they view as New Delhi’s failure to deliver on promises. The violent turn of demonstrations this week.