Situated between China to the east and Pakistan to the west, the Himalayan region of Ladakh holds immense importance for India’s national security. Since 2019, it has been under strict central government control, a situation that has increasingly frustrated its local population.
On Wednesday, this simmering anger escalated into deadly protests. Clashes erupted between residents demanding statehood for Ladakh and police forces in Leh, the region’s largest city, following the hospitalization of two hunger strikers.
Adding to the chaos, protesters reportedly set fire to the local office of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. This information was shared by leaders spearheading Ladakh’s movement for statehood.
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs acknowledged that a political party’s office had been set ablaze but did not explicitly name it. In an official statement, the government reported that over 30 police and security force members sustained injuries. It further stated that police resorted to firing in self-defense, leading to “some casualties,” though no specific number was provided.
However, Chering Dorjay, co-chairman of the Leh Apex Body, a key organization advocating for Ladakh’s autonomy, claimed that five protesters died and at least 70 others were injured.
Kavinder Gupta, the lieutenant governor of Ladakh, attributed the violence to those who drew parallels between the local protest movement and recent youth uprisings in Bangladesh and Nepal.
“Had this not been contained today, they would have attempted to devastate the entirety of Leh,” he asserted in a video statement.
For the preceding two weeks, supporters of the movement had been engaged in a hunger strike spearheaded by Sonam Wangchuk, a prominent climate activist. Wangchuk has emerged as a leading figure in Ladakh’s quest for autonomy, fasting continuously alongside a small core group, while hundreds more participated in daily solidarity fasts.
The situation intensified on Tuesday when two hunger strikers were rushed to the hospital due to deteriorating health. This incident, according to Mr. Dorjay, incited members of the movement’s youth wing, who on Wednesday morning engaged in stone-pelting and damaged several buildings.
“We tried diligently to keep them under control, but they simply became uncontrollable,” he remarked.
The Indian government, in its official release, pointed fingers at Mr. Wangchuk, accusing him of inciting the violence through provocative statements. These statements reportedly referenced both the Arab Spring movement and the recent anti-corruption protests in Nepal.
In response, Mr. Wangchuk posted on social media, disavowing violence and lamenting the unrest as a significant setback for Ladakh’s statehood movement.
Consequently, Mr. Wangchuk concluded his hunger strike on Wednesday.
Hunger strikes have been a long-standing tactic for Mr. Wangchuk to exert pressure on the Indian government for negotiations. Last year, he and several supporters trekked approximately 500 miles from Leh to New Delhi, India’s capital, intending to fast until the government agreed to resume discussions with movement representatives. The next round of talks is currently scheduled for October 6.
Historically, Ladakh was part of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. India and Pakistan have engaged in multiple conflicts over the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir, which both nations claim, including the 1999 conflict in Kargil, located within Ladakh’s territory.
In 2019, the Modi government stripped Kashmir of its autonomous status, removing its power to enact its own laws. While this decision allowed Jammu and Kashmir to establish its own local assembly, Ladakh was placed under the direct administration of New Delhi.
Since then, Ladakh’s geostrategic importance has only amplified. In 2020, India and China found themselves locked in deadly border skirmishes in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh.