Security forces patrolled the streets of Ladakh on Thursday as authorities imposed a curfew in parts of the Himalayan region, a day after four people were killed and more than 80 injured in violent protests demanding statehood, job quotas, and constitutional safeguards.
Television footage showed troops on patrol in deserted streets with shops and businesses shuttered, following a protest call by the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an umbrella body of political, social, and trade groups.
“I demand a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into the deaths of our students,” Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa said on X, also calling for relief to the bereaved families and accountability for those responsible.
The violence erupted on Wednesday when hundreds of protesters set fire to the local BJP office, vehicles, and the office of Leh’s chief executive councillor.
Police opened fire after a mob attacked the premises, the Union Home Ministry said, adding that the unrest was triggered by “provocative speeches” by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.
Six of the injured were reported to be in critical condition, while more than 50 people were arrested, police officials said.
The protests also left over 30 policemen wounded. Damaged cars with shattered windows remained scattered along Leh’s roads on Thursday.
KDA legal adviser Haji Ghulam Mustafa condemned the police firing. “I do not understand who gave the orders to shoot,” he told ANI, adding that protests in Ladakh over the last five years had always been peaceful.
Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta chaired a high-level security review meeting in Leh on Thursday, calling for “heightened vigilance, seamless inter-agency coordination, and proactive measures to safeguard peace, security, and public order across the UT,” his office said in a statement.
The protests were organised by a constituent of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) in support of demands for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to Ladakh to protect its tribal areas.
Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike over these demands, called it off after the outbreak of violence.
The unrest comes against the backdrop of Ladakh losing its autonomy in 2019, when it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir and placed under direct administration from New Delhi. Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil — the site of the 1999 India-Pakistan conflict — remain at the heart of the statehood movement.