Ladakh youths demanding statehood and special status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution on Wednesday erupted in protests that mirrored the Gen Z upheaval in Nepal, hurling stones at security forces, burning down a BJP and a government office and setting vehicles on fire.
Local politicians claimed three to five people had been killed and dozens injured after the police and the CRPF opened fire at the protesters. Ladakh lieutenant governor Kavinder Gupta said curfew had been imposed. He acknowledged casualties but did not say how many had been killed. Gupta accused Ladakh leaders of inciting the protesters.
Ladakh has not witnessed such violence in decades, marking a stunning irony as another peace haven of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir descends into chaos in the aftermath of the 2019 scrapping of special status under Article 370.
Jammu, too, has seen a churning with a sharp spike in militancy, while the Centre’s focus on pacifying the already vexed region of Kashmir has had scant success. Jammu’s Chenab Valley recently saw the biggest agitation in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 measures, with thousands defying restrictions to protest the arrest of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act.
Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been fasting for the past two weeks over the demand for statehood and special status under the Sixth Schedule, called the protests a “Gen Z revolution”. He broke his fast on Wednesday, objecting to the violence and the alleged killings by the forces, and urged the youths to abjure destructive actions.
The Centre on Wednesday alleged that the mob violence was guided by the “provocative statements” of Wangchuk, and certain “politically motivated” individuals were not happy with the progress made in the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakhi groups.
“The government stands committed to the aspiration of the people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards,” the Union home ministry statement said.
People block a road during a protest demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh, Ladakh, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.
Although Ladakh residents had been waging a peaceful battle for statehood and special status for years, the dam broke on Thursday, with many alleging delaying tactics by the Centre and police high-handedness. Stone-pelting and stick-wielding youths swarmed the streets, chanting anti-government and anti-BJP slogans.
Hundreds of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed to restore calm. The administrations of neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir kept a watchful eye on the situation to prevent any spillover to the region.
The protests broke out in response to a call by the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body to express solidarity with Wangchuk and the others fasting with him.
Wangchuk distanced himself from the violence, saying it was not the path shown by him. He called for peace and said violence would harm the region’s struggle for political recognition.
“VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH. My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,” he said on X.
In a video, Wangchuk said the situation took a turn for the worse after the health of two of his associates deteriorated on Tuesday and they had to be hospitalised.
“That triggered anger among people. There was a shutdown in the whole of Leh today. Thousands of youths came out on the streets. Some people think they are our supporters. Although the entire Ladakh supports us, the youth gave vent to their anger. It was a sort of Gen Z revolution that brought them onto the roads,” he added. According to Wangchuk, three to five protesters had died.
Wangchuk said the problems confronting Ladakh, including unemployment and lack of democratic rights, were a recipe for unrest.
Leh councillor Tashi Tundup, who is from the Congress, said there were reports of three casualties in the police and CRPF firing.
Tundup said thousands of youths, angry over the delay in talks between the Ladakhi leadership and the Centre over the twin demands, assembled near the offices of the Hill Development Council and the BJP to protest for their rights. The situation reportedly flared up when the police tried to disperse them.
“All the staff at the Hill Development Council are safe. But the assembly hall has been torched. The main council office is also safe,” Tundup told The Telegraph.
He said the BJP office, which is around 1km away, had been set ablaze.
Officials said Congress legislator Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag had been booked for inciting violence, although his party denied he was involved.
The action came after the BJP’s Amit Malviya claimed Tsepag “can be clearly seen instigating the mob and participating in violence that targeted the BJP office and the Hill Council”.
Tundup claimed the man in the picture released by the BJP was not Tsepag but resembled him.
The protesters were also angry with the Union home ministry’s decision to hold talks with the Ladakhi leadership belatedly on October 6. The locals believe it is an attempt to further tire down those on a fast.
The Kargil Democratic Alliance, which has been spearheading the demand for special status in Kargil, has issued a shutdown call on Thursday in support of the Leh leadership.
The fresh protests have come as the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections are due next month. The BJP won the elections in 2020 but faced a humiliating defeat in the region in last year’s Lok Sabha polls.
Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory in 2019 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmiri politicians warned the Centre of simmering tension in Jammuand Kashmir.
“Ladakh wasn’t even promised Statehood, they celebrated UT status in 2019 & they feel betrayed & angry. Now try to imagine how betrayed & disappointed we in J&K feel when the promise of statehood to J&K remains unfulfilled even though we have gone about demanding it democratically, peacefully & responsibly,” chief minister Omar Abdullah said on X.