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EYE ON INDIA OCTOBER 10, 2025 | The Indian Eye 8
Ladakh at the Crossroads:
Calm Returns as Government
Probes Wangchuk’s Role in Violence
After deadly protests shook Leh, the administration is restoring order, even as the arrest of Sonam
Wangchuk raises questions about dissent, democracy, and the search for lasting peace in the region.
mains the only sustainable path for-
OUR BUREAU
ward. Leaders of the Apex Body of
Leh/New Delhi Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alli-
ance have been invited for talks with
or the first time since violent the Centre, with discussions set to
clashes erupted in Leh on Sep-
Ftember 24, killing four people continue until October 6.
and injuring scores, a sense of nor-
malcy is beginning to return to Lada- The return of daily life to La-
kh. Markets are reopening, vehicles dakh’s streets offers hope that
are back on the streets, and schools
have resumed for lower classes. The the September 24 violence was
administration, led by Lieutenant an aberration rather than a new
Governor Kavinder Gupta, has as-
sured that calm will be preserved normal. Yet, the arrest of So-
through dialogue, job creation, and a nam Wangchuk casts a shadow
magisterial inquiry into the causes of
the unrest. over this fragile peace.
Yet beneath this veneer of or-
der lies a deeper tension: the gov- For the government, it is a test
ernment’s decision to detain climate Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta chairs a review meeting to assess the security of balancing security with democrat-
activist and education reformer So- scenario, in Leh (@lg_ladakh X/ANI Photo) ic space. For Ladakh’s people, it is a
nam Wangchuk under the National question of whether their most trust-
Security Act (NSA), accusing him to reopen. evidence,” LG Gupta said, defending ed voices will be silenced or heard.
of inciting violence during protests “After a day or two, everything Wangchuk’s detention under NSA. Ultimately, Ladakh stands at
demanding statehood and inclusion will be completely normal,” LG Gup- While the specifics of the evidence a crossroads: it can either move
of Ladakh under the Sixth Sched- ta said. “The incident of 24th Septem- have not been disclosed, officials ar- towards reconciliation through di-
ule. The move has sparked a fresh ber was truly painful and tragic, and gue that Ladakh’s status as a sensitive alogue and trust-building, or risk
debate—was Wangchuk unfairly tar- should not have happened. We are border region makes it imperative to deepening mistrust if popular leaders
geted for being the most prominent ensuring it does not happen again.” clamp down on anything that risks are branded as threats rather than
voice of Ladakh’s aspirations, or does Behind the scenes, security agen- spiralling into instability. partners in peace.
the government genuinely believe he cies are focusing on restoring faith in From the government’s perspec- Despite internal unrest, Lada-
crossed the line into provocation? governance. A magisterial inquiry has tive, the calculus is clear: Ladakh lies kh’s larger challenge remains the
The protests, which had begun been announced to determine what at the frontier with both China and unsettled border with China. Since
as peaceful demonstrations, spiralled triggered the clashes and whether the Pakistan. Any escalation of unrest, the deadly Galwan clash of 2020,
into violence when agitators clashed police response was proportionate. especially if led by a figure as prom- both armies have engaged in multiple
with police and torched a political Citizens have been invited to share inent as Wangchuk, risks not only in- rounds of talks, leading to partial dis-
party office. Police retaliation left evidence—oral, written, or video— ternal law and order but also national engagement in some friction points.
four people dead—Jigmet Dorjey, ensuring transparency in the process. security. The NSA detention, they Yet, tensions persist at Depsang and
Rinchen Dadul, Stanzin Namgail, Amid this drive for peace, Wang- argue, is a preventive rather than pu- Demchok, where Chinese presence
and Tsewang Tharchin. chuk’s arrest has emerged as the nitive measure. restricts Indian patrols. The gov-
The tragedy shocked the region, flashpoint. Known globally for his pi- At the heart of the conflict lies ernment has boosted infrastructure,
forcing the administration to impose oneering work in education and envi- Ladakh’s long-standing demand for building all-weather roads and ad-
curfews and restrict movement. For ronmental sustainability, Wangchuk statehood and constitutional protec- vanced landing grounds to strength-
nearly a week, Ladakh’s bustling has long advocated for Ladakh’s eco- tions under the Sixth Schedule. Pro- en deployment. While Beijing insists
town of Leh resembled a ghost city. logical preservation and constitution- testers argue that without these safe- on “status quo,” India stresses res-
But in the days since, the administra- al safeguards. But the government guards, Ladakh’s fragile ecology and toration of pre-2020 positions. For
tion has carefully relaxed restrictions, alleges that his influence over local unique culture are at risk of being Ladakhis, peace at home feels in-
allowing markets to operate between youth and protest groups may have overwhelmed by unchecked develop- complete without security along the
10 a.m. and 6 p.m., public transport crossed into instigation. ment and demographic changes. frontier, where the shadow of China
to run, and schools up to class eight “Action has been taken based on Dialogue, LG Gupta argues, re- shapes every strategic calculation.
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