Ladakh violence: Centre says Sonam Wangchuk’s ‘provocative’ statements incited mob

Sonam Wangchuk

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has held climate activist Sonam Wangchuk responsible for violent protests in Ladakh that claimed four lives and injured at least 45 people, including 22 police personnel.

The ministry said Wangchuk’s “provocative” references to Arab Spring-style uprisings and Nepal’s Gen Z protests incited a mob, leading to large-scale clashes, arson, and police firing.

“On 24th September, at around 11.30 am, a mob instigated by his provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC Leh,” the MHA said.

The government further accused Wangchuk of leaving for his village “without making serious efforts to control the situation” after breaking his fast. It added that the Central government has been holding structured and informal talks with regional bodies, including the Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), to address local concerns.

The ministry highlighted measures already taken under these dialogues, such as raising Scheduled Tribe reservations from 45% to 84%, reserving one-third of council seats for women, and recognising Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. Recruitment for about 1,800 posts has also been initiated.

“However, certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress made under HPC and have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process… In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike he continued with the hunger strike and misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal,” the statement added.

The MHA said the unrest also involved arson, attacks on security personnel, and a torched police vehicle. Police used teargas and baton charges in response, and some firing occurred in self-defence, resulting in casualties.

The ministry confirmed that the situation has been brought under control and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the aspirations of the people of Ladakh through constitutional safeguards.