Days after a peaceful shutdown demanding statehood for Ladakh turned violent, leaving four people dead and over 70 injured, Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly inciting demonstrators. Authorities are yet to decide whether he will be lodged in a jail or shifted to another location.
Breaking now: @Wangchuk66 arrested under NSA: https://t.co/0dG3Yz6RCK
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) September 26, 2025
The violence erupted on September 24, when a mob, allegedly provoked by Wangchuk’s speeches, attacked the BJP office, the Hill Council headquarters, and torched vehicles in Leh. Over 40 police and CRPF personnel were injured in the clashes before paramilitary forces restored order with tear gas. A curfew was imposed across Leh in the aftermath.
Wangchuk had ended his two-week hunger strike just before the unrest, during which he had demanded statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. A day later, the Centre accused him of fueling unrest through “provocative statements” and drawing on global protest movements such as the Arab Spring and Nepal’s Gen Z agitation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a detailed statement, alleged that on September 24 at 11:30 am, a mob instigated by Wangchuk’s speeches marched from his hunger strike venue and attacked political party offices as well as the office of the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC), Leh. The government also accused “politically motivated groups” unhappy with ongoing negotiations of exploiting the situation.
Wangchuk dismissed the charges as a “scapegoat tactic” to deflect attention from Ladakh’s core political concerns. “To say it was instigated by me, or sometimes by Congress, is to find a scapegoat, rather than addressing the core of the problem,” he said, adding that he was prepared to face arrest.
The Centre, however, highlighted that parallel negotiations with the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance were already yielding results. It pointed to major concessions: increasing Scheduled Tribe reservations in Ladakh from 45 per cent to 84 per cent, ensuring one-third representation for women in local councils, recognising Bhoti and Purgi as official languages, and initiating recruitment for 1,800 government posts.
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