In a significant political statement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday vehemently alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘betrayed’ the residents of Ladakh. Gandhi demanded an immediate and impartial judicial probe into the fatal police firing incident that claimed the lives of four protestors in the Union Territory.
Among those tragically killed in the clashes on September 24, 2025, was Tsewang Tharchin, a revered Kargil war veteran. During his four-nation tour of South America, Rahul Gandhi shared a poignant video featuring Tharchin’s grieving father. Emphasizing the family’s deep patriotic roots, Gandhi highlighted the father’s anguish, stating, ‘Father in the Army, son in the Army — patriotism runs in their blood. Yet the BJP Government shot and killed this brave son of the nation, simply because he stood up for Ladakh and his rights.’
Gandhi underscored the father’s profound sorrow, remarking that his ‘pain-filled eyes ask one question: is this the reward for serving the nation today?’ He reiterated the Congress party’s demand for a thorough, impartial judicial inquiry into the killings and called for the perpetrators to face the ‘harshest punishment.’
Directly addressing Prime Minister Modi, the former Congress president asserted, ‘Modi ji, you have betrayed the people of Ladakh. They are demanding their rights. Communicate with them — stop the politics of violence and fear.’
The Congress party had previously expressed outrage over the death of ex-serviceman Tharchin. Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in-charge of communications, highlighted Tharchin’s distinguished service at the Siachen Glacier and his valor in the 1999 Kargil War, noting his father’s service in the Indian Army as well.
‘Tsewang Tharchin was protesting peacefully for Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh. It should be a matter of the deepest anguish and outrage that he was killed along with three others in the firing on the agitationists five days back,’ Ramesh stated.
The protests escalated into violence on September 24, resulting in four deaths and numerous injuries. Demonstrators, advocating for statehood for Ladakh, reportedly set fire to a local BJP office and engaged in stone-pelting against police and CRPF personnel. In a related development, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained on September 26 under the National Security Act (NSA) and subsequently transferred to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, further intensifying tensions in the region. The ongoing situation has also caused a tourism crisis in Leh, with tourists stranded and hotel bookings cancelled amidst strict curfews and internet shutdowns.