Why Sonam Wangchuk termed Ladakh protests as 'Gen Z revolution' amid demands for statehood

The demonstrations led to the death of at least 4 individuals with several severely injured

Activist Sonam Wangchuk on September 24 said Central government’s actions have brought the "Gen Z revolution" to Ladakh as protests in Leh turned violent after two people on hunger strike were hospitalized.

The protesters have been demanding statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule for several years.

Wangchuk said large-scale violence took place after the health conditions of two people on hunger strike turned serious and had to be hospitalised.

Following this, the activist said this triggered a wave of anger among the youth as the wanted to express their frustration. “This was a type of Gen Z revolution that brought people on the streets,” he said.

The demonstrations led to the death of at least 4 individuals with several severely injured, Reuters reported. More than 50 people, including 20 police personnel, were injured, a police source told Reuters.

BJP office set on fire in Ladakh's Leh amid massive protests | WATCH

Soon after the incidents of violence, Wangchuk called off his 15-day hunger strike and said the youth should shun violence as it harms the interests of Ladakh.

What exactly happened during the protests in Ladakh?

The demand for statehood and 6th schedule turned violent, as hundreds of people took to streets. The Leh office of BJP, which is ruling the Union Territory through its Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta, and several vehicles were set on fire. Flames and dark smoke clouds could be seen from afar amid a complete shutdown in the Ladakh capital. The administration imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS to ban the assembly of five or more people, PTI reported.

What Wangchuk said

Wangchuk termed the protests as a “Gen Z revolution”, saying it was the frustration of the younger generation whose demands for statehood and protection of Ladakh have not been fulfilled.

“I have said it several times that there is an anger among the people. There is a social unrest,” he said in a video posted on X.

He said the hospitalization of two people on hunger strike triggered a wave of anger among the youth, bringing them to the streets.

VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH
My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause.#LadakhAnshan pic.twitter.com/CzTNHoUkoC

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) September 24, 2025

Appeal for peace

The activist, however, appealed the youth to calm down and negotiate with the government peacefully.

“If we are doing hunger strike peacefully for so many years, we are doing marches and, in the end, if we commit violence then this is not the road we want. I urge the young generation with folded hands to not commit any violence and to discuss their demands with the government peacefully.”

He also requested the government to listen to their peaceful demands. Wangchuk blamed the government for ignoring their protests and marches, saying the situation has come to this because the government never listened to their demands.

“I want to tell everyone that we have nothing to do with violence and this is the time to have a peaceful conversation with the government,” he said.

What are the demands

The key concerns of Ladakh include lack of statehood, land rights protection for locals and jobs.

The primary demand of the residents of Ladakh is statehood. Ladakh was turned into a Union Territory in 2019 after Article 370 was abrogated and J&K was broken into two UTs. At that time, several Ladakh residents had celebrated the move, believing it will provide them more rights.

However, after the removal of Article 370, several land protection rights for locals went away, leading to concerns of dilution of local culture. Ladakh also failed to get an assembly of its own despite J&K receiving an approval for its assembly.

Here are the key demands

-Statehood

-Sixth Schedule

-A separate public service commission for Ladakh to address the issue of jobs

-Two Parliamentary seats instead of one

-Immediate meeting with Centre

-No ‘dictation’ without discussion

The immediate demands of the protesters are for the government to hold a meeting as soon as possible. The last meeting was held in May. The ministry of home affairs had announced October 6 as the date for the next meeting. However, the protesters felt the announcement of the next day without any discussion with them was “just a dictation”.

What is sixth schedule and why Ladakh wants it

The provisions of the sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution deals with the administration of tribal regions such as in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The provisions allow the administration of certain tribal areas as autonomous entities. The sixth schedule provisions fall under article 244 and article 275 of the Constitution. It makes special provisions in terms of governance, powers of president and the governor, type of local bodies, alternate judicial mechanisms and financial powers exercised through autonomous councils.

Currently, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils have the powers for district-level planning and development.

However, reports say that the home ministry has agreed to discuss a separate service commission and two Lok Sabha seats.

'Clearly seen leading mob': BJP accuses Congress councillor of instigating violence in Leh

Who is leading the protests

Apart from Wangchuk, the protests are being led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

The two bodies have been leading the protests jointly for many years and had several rounds of discussions with the government over the years.

Leh shut down after their call for protests, leading to large crowds assembling at the NDS memorial ground and a march through the streets later. They chanted slogans in support of statehood and the inclusion in the sixth schedule. The situation took a violent turn after some youth started pelting stones at the head office of BJP and the Hill Council.

Groups of youth set ablaze a security vehicle and some more, and also targeted the BJP office. They set fire to furniture and papers within the complex and one of the buildings.

Reinforcements were rushed to the scene and the situation was brought under control after several hours of intense clashes, officials monitoring the situation added.

The police and other security forces brought the situation under control, the officials said.

What’s next

The KDA had called for a complete shutdown in Kargil on Thursday in solidarity with the people on the hunger strike and to press for advancing the talks. The next round of talks between LAB and KDA and the Centre is scheduled for October 6.

With agency inputs