Desk Report:
Four people were killed and over 70 injured in clashes between protesters and police in Ladakh‘s Leh town on Wednesday (September 25). The protests, which initially began in solidarity with an ongoing hunger strike, turned violent when protesters attempted to attack and set fire to the local BJP office and the Leh Hill Council secretariat.
Several vehicles were also set on fire in addition to the BJP office. Protesters burned furniture and documents in the office. Additional forces later reached the spot and were able to bring the situation under control after several hours of clashes, but tensions remained high in the town. Following the violence, authorities imposed a curfew under Section 163 of the Indian Civil Protection Code (IPPCC), which prohibits the assembly of five or more people.
What happened in Ladakh?
The protests in Leh on Wednesday turned violent, demanding separate statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. Wangchuk, who ended his 15-day hunger strike, had on Tuesday urged his supporters to avoid violence. Although the meeting with the Centre was scheduled for October 6, the protesters were demanding that the date of the talks be brought forward due to the deteriorating health of the hunger strikers.
News agency PTI reported that a huge crowd gathered at the NDS Memorial Ground on Wednesday. From there, hundreds of protesters marched across the city. They chanted slogans in support of Ladakh’s separate statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.
Tensions escalated when the protesters started pelting stones at the BJP office and the Hill Council. At first, the police tried to disperse the protesters by firing tear gas. But when the protesters became more violent, the security forces opened fire.
Meanwhile, the hunger strike of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which is leading the movement, entered its third week on Wednesday. Two elderly participants, 72-year-old Tsering Angchok and 60-year-old Doma, fell ill due to the prolonged fast. They were later admitted to the hospital. However, soon after the protests spread, Sonam Wangchuk announced the withdrawal of the hunger strike and appealed to everyone to remain calm.
Who is Sonam Wangchuk?
Sonam Wangchuk is a climate activist and a mechanical engineer by profession. In 2018, she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
In 1998, she founded the SECMOL (Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) school, whose main goal was to rebuild the self-confidence of Ladakhi students.
According to Ramon Magsaysay’s official website, Sonam Wangchuk invented an artificial glacier called ‘Ice Stupa’ to solve the water crisis in the hilly region due to climate change and melting glaciers, which stores water wasted during winter.
Sonam Wangchuk wrote in her bio on X, ‘From engineer to reformer of the education system’. The character of Phunsukh Wangru in the popular Bollywood film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009) is inspired by his life.
Main demands of Ladakhis
The main demands of Ladakhis are—special constitutional protection under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, granting Ladakh the status of a separate state, and ensuring the protection of the fragile environment of the region.
