Section 163 still in place | Schools and colleges remain closed | LG calls the violent protests a conspiracy, not a revolution.
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| Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been at the forefront of the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. | Image: ANI |
Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been at the forefront of the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, was arrested on Friday, two days after violent protests left four people dead and over 90 injured in Leh.
The protests, led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), had begun as a peaceful shutdown demanding statehood for Ladakh but quickly turned violent. Demonstrators had torched the BJP office in Leh, a police vehicle and several private cars, triggering a harsh crackdown.
Prohibitions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, continue to be imposed in Leh following the violence. The assembly of five or more persons is banned in the district. No procession, rally or march can be carried out without prior written approval.
Authorities had imposed a curfew in Kargil, where a shutdown was called by the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in solidarity with Wangchuk. Police said the step was necessary to prevent further escalation of violence after Wednesday’s clashes spiraled into arson and attacks on government property.
Wangchuk: Face of Ladakh’s struggle
An engineer, educator and environmentalist, Sonam Wangchuk has become the most visible face of Ladakh’s political struggle since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which reorganised Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He has long campaigned for Sixth Schedule status to safeguard the region’s fragile ecology, tribal culture and autonomy. His earlier hunger strikes in 2020 brought national attention to Ladakh’s demands.
Wangchuk: Face of Ladakh’s struggle
An engineer, educator and environmentalist, Sonam Wangchuk has become the most visible face of Ladakh’s political struggle since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which reorganised Jammu & Kashmir into two Union Territories — Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. He has long campaigned for Sixth Schedule status to safeguard the region’s fragile ecology, tribal culture and autonomy. His earlier hunger strikes in 2020 brought national attention to Ladakh’s demands.
This man rioting in Ladakh is Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, Congress Councillor for Upper Leh Ward.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 24, 2025
He can be clearly seen instigating the mob and participating in violence that targeted the BJP office and the Hill Council.
Is this the kind of unrest Rahul Gandhi has been… pic.twitter.com/o2WHdcCIuC
Tsepag, however, has gone missing since the violence, with police launching raids to trace him. In an exclusive interview to Republic TV, he denied involvement in the clashes.
Ladakh Protests | ‘Not My Picture’: Congress leader Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, accused of instigating mob in Ladakh violence, tells Executive Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy (@newsroomswamy)
— Republic (@republic) September 25, 2025
“Congress is not even part of the organisation which has organised the protest. We are only… pic.twitter.com/Oa1S4gzgFk
With Wangchuk’s arrest and the Congress councillor absconding, the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood has taken a volatile turn, leaving the region tense and heavily militarised.
Courtesy: .R
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