‘We only raised our voice for rights’: Youths in Leh say protest violence was spontaneous

Srinagar: Days after violent clashes in Leh left four people dead and dozens injured, the statehood agitation in Ladakh continues to roil the cold desert region.

While police have accused climate activist Sonam Wangchuk of instigating the mob and hinted at “foreign links,” voices from the ground and leaders of the Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) reject that version, insisting the anger was entirely homegrown.

Two young men who were part of last Wednesday’s hunger strike told Deccan Herald over phone that the agitation was meant to remain non-violent.

“We were there from eight in the morning. Around 1,000 to 1,500 people had assembled, raising slogans for Sixth Schedule protections. Our leaders, including the Ladakh Apex Body and Sonam Wangchuk, had told us not to step outside. It was supposed to be peaceful,” one said.

Both youths, who requested anonymity fearing reprisals, said they were speaking at great personal risk. “Even our phones may be recorded, and we could be jailed like dozens of others in the past two days,” one of them said.

According to them, tensions rose after the health of two elderly hunger strikers deteriorated and they were shifted to hospital.

“People were angry that the government was ignoring their condition. Around the same time, a group of youths with tricolours argued with CRPF men outside the park. Suddenly tear smoke shells were fired. That created panic and outrage. The violence that followed was spontaneous, not pre-planned,” the second youth recalled.

They underlined that the gathering was entirely local. “One of those killed was an ex-army man. Our elderly and even children were not spared from teargas. We have always stood by the country and its armed forces. Hundreds from our region serve in uniform. Asking for our rights under the Constitution is not anti-national,” one said.

The Leh Apex Body, which has spearheaded the demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards, has strongly rejected suggestions of foreign hand in the agitation. “To project the agitation as being controlled by foreign hands is not only untrue but also an insult to the people of Ladakh,” said LAB senior member Ashraf Ali.

He said the September 24 protests were fuelled by local frustration and not outside interference. “Some non-local labourers from Nepal, Doda, and other places got caught in the clashes and were injured, but this was never an external plot,” Ali said.

The LAB has reiterated its demand for a judicial inquiry into the incident to establish accountability, including identifying who ordered the police firing. “Attempts to divert attention by invoking foreign elements will not address the real issues,” Ali said.

For many Ladakhis, the September 24 crackdown that led to deaths and injuries has deepened the sense of betrayal. “People are scared, yes. But people will not remain silent forever. Whatever our leaders decide, we will follow,” one of the young protesters told DH.

Authorities, however, maintain that the agitation was hijacked. Ladakh Director General of Police S D Singh Jamwal on Saturday alleged that Wangchuk was the “key instigator.” He cited the activist’s past visits to Pakistan and Bangladesh and claimed that a Pakistani intelligence operative in touch with him had been arrested recently. “There is evidence of outside influence. The violence was meant to derail the dialogue with the Centre,” Jamwal said.

As Leh remains under heavy security, the contrasting narratives — of a community insisting it was silenced for demanding rights, and a police force alleging conspiracy — capture the uncertainty now hanging over Ladakh’s future.

Ladakh has long been seen as one of the more peaceful corners of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, untouched by the armed militancy that scarred the Valley for decades. Its residents are often held up as fiercely patriotic, with a high number serving in the Indian Army and paramilitary forces. It was partly on that image of loyalty that New Delhi carved Ladakh out as a separate Union Territory in August 2019, when it abrogated Article 370 and split Jammu and Kashmir.

Ladakh’s statehood struggle: A timeline

August 2019: Article 370 revoked; Ladakh carved out as a separate Union Territory without a legislature.

2020–21: Growing concerns over jobs, land rights, and cultural identity spark calls for constitutional safeguards.

2022: Ladakh Apex Body (Leh) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (Kargil) form a joint platform to demand statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.

2023: Talks with the Centre yield little progress; hunger strikes and sit-ins intensify.

September 24, 2025: Protests in Leh turn violent after tear smoke shelling; four killed, dozens injured.