SD Singh Jaiswal, the Director General of Police for the Union Territory of Ladakh has made a big assertion that activist Sonam Wangchuk who was responsible for the violent protests in Ladakh, has considerable links with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Sonam Wangchuk was arrested on September 26 as per the National Security Act(NSA) and is currently in the Jodhpur Central Jail, Rajasthan. Apparently, his provocative statements and urging the youth of Ladakh to protest in ways similar to Arab uprising and the recent Nepal violence, instigated the people to vandalize public properties and undertake other violent actions.
DGP SD Singh Jaiswal reiterated that the police has also arrested a Pakistani Intelligence Officer while he was returning back to Pakistan, who was allegedly in contact with Sonam Wangchuk. Meanwhile, there are evidences to testify that Sonam Wangchuk has attended many events in Pakistan. These cross-border contacts of Wangchuk, especially with the “enemy” nations, raise serious doubts regarding the true intentions behind his protests. “We arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was reporting back across. We have a record of this. He had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan. He also visited Bangladesh. So, there is a big question mark on him. Investigation is being done,” the Ladakh DGP said.
#WATCH | Leh: Speaking on the 24th Sept violence, Ladakh DGP Dr. S.D Singh Jamwal says, "…We also arrested a Pakistan PIO in the recent past who was in touch with him (Sonam Wangchuk) and reporting back across. We have a record of this. He had attended a Dawn event in Pakistan.… pic.twitter.com/q4YnhyrQlE
— ANI (@ANI) September 27, 2025
Ladakh DGP further affirmed that Sonam Wangchuk ignited the violent protests in Ladakh through his inflammatory and provocative statements that led to the death of four people and injured more than 80 civilians, local police and the CRPF personnel. “Sonam Wangchuk has had a history of instigating. He has referred to the Arab Spring, Nepal and Bangladesh. The investigation into his funding is going on for FCRA violation,” DGP Jamwal said.
DGP Jamwal further asserted that suspicious people have been detained and investigations are underway to confirm whether they were part of any anti-national conspiracy. DGP also criticized Sonam Wangchuk and questioned his credibility as he “hijacked” the platform and derailed the negotiations and growth momentum of the Union Territory under the veil of advocating for the constitutional rights of Ladakh people.
Despite the on-going talks between the high-powered committee formed by the government and the Leh Apex Body, Kargil Democratic Alliance to fulfil the demands and aspirations of the people of Ladakh, Sonam Wangchuk resorted to violent means of protest and unlawfully instigated & misled the innocent youth. In the wake of the violence, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act(FCRA) license bestowed to the Students Education and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, an organization run by Sonam Wangchuk was also cancelled.
DGP SD Singh Jamwal also said that police resorted to firing only as a means of self-defence given the precariousness of the situation and not as a means to threaten or harm the innocent people. Meanwhile, authorities have decided to relax the curfew gradually, in order to facilitate the mobility and livelihood of the people of Ladakh, the police official further added.
