Violent clashes broke out outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Leh on Wednesday amid a shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which has been pressing for statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.
According to preliminary reports, hundreds of LAB supporters—an umbrella group of political, religious, and social organisations—gathered outside the BJP office to protest the Centre’s delay in holding “result-oriented” talks on their long-pending demands. The situation escalated when police tried to disperse the crowd, leading to stone pelting, use of teargas shells, and several vehicles being set ablaze. No official statement has yet been issued by the police on what triggered the violence.
Tensions had been building in the region since September 23, after two hunger-striking protesters were hospitalised. The hunger strike, launched on September 10 alongside renowned climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, had drawn wide support across Ladakh.
Following the violence, Wangchuk announced the end of his three-week-long fast, appealing to the youth to remain peaceful. “Events that unfolded are unfortunate. I urge the government to be sensitive to Ladakh’s demands and appeal to the administration to stop teargas shelling and intimidation of the youth,” he said.
Wangchuk has rejected the Ministry of Home Affairs’ recent announcement that the High-Powered Committee (HPC) will meet LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) representatives on October 6 in New Delhi, insisting instead on immediate “result-oriented” talks.
Meanwhile, the KDA, a coalition of political and religious organisations from Kargil, has called for a shutdown on Thursday in solidarity with LAB.
The fresh wave of unrest comes weeks ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections, where the BJP faces a key political test. Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir.
