In support of Wangchuck and his issues, the local youths started a demonstration in Leh city on the 15th day (September 24) of the fast, which announced that they will be on fast for 35 days. The demonstration turned violent and four people were killed and 150 people including security personnel were injured. What has happened in Ladakh regarding the fact that young people including Gen-G are taking to the streets against injustice in various parts of the world including Nepal? What is the relationship between Wangchuk and Ladakh? How did the movement become violent?  How has the Indian government taken it? In this article we will find answers to these questions.

Why is Ladakh agitated? 

In August 2019, the Government of India announced the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, which reorganized the state of Jammu and Kashmir and recognized it as a special state. With the repeal of this article, Ladakh became a Union Territory. At the time, many including Sonam Wangchuk welcomed Union Territory status for Ladakh . But after a few months, the local residents started to feel discontent. Ladakh, without a legislature and federal representation, began to complain of suffering through the central government. 

Growing discontent in Ladakh gradually took the form of protests and hunger strikes. Local groups like 'Leh Apex Body' (LAB) and 'Kargil Democratic Alliance' (KDA) led the revolt. He put forward the demand to give special autonomy and separate state status to Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. 

The Sixth Schedule specifically grants special rights to tribal areas through autonomous councils for conservation of land, forests and cultural identity. This will help preserve the originality of Ladakh and the status of a separate state will ensure local representation and autonomy in the decision-making process, Wangchuk and others argue. 

Government's reluctance

The BJP-led Indian government has not given any clear response to the Sixth Schedule or whether to grant separate state status. To address the latest demand of Ladakh  Even though the central government formed a high-level committee, it has not been able to achieve any concrete achievements, the locals allege. Although there have been talks on this issue at various stages, no agreement has been reached. 

According to Indian media LiveMint, in March 2024, representatives of Ladakh met with Home Minister Amit Shah. However, Shah rejected their main demands.    Wangchuk at the center of the

movement 

After the Indian government did not address the demands of Ladakh, protests have been taking place from the local level for a long time. Sonam Wangchuk, who is at the center of the movement, is the most famous face involved in the protests in Ladakh.

Wangchuk has gone on hunger strike five times in the last three years demanding constitutional protection for Ladakh. The last time Wangchuck fasted to death was in March last year in the cold weather of minus 10 degree Celsius . Since then, he has been continuously monitored and criticized by the Indian government.

After his efforts did not yield any results, he went on hunger strike this year as well. He was supported by thousands of local residents. Gen-jis also joined it . The hunger strike that started on September 10 and the accompanying protests could not be peaceful. 

On September 24, four people died and more than 100 were injured, including security personnel, in a clash between protesting groups and security personnel. Wangchuk, who was arrested after the clash, has been prosecuted under the National Security Act (NSA) 198. With his arrest, internet service has been stopped and curfew has been imposed in Leh in Ladakh. Political allegations During last week's demonstration, the local office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set on fire. Alleging that the Congress was involved in it, the BJP accused the protest of being 'violent' and trying to destabilize Ladakh like Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines. 

Likewise, some media outlets have claimed that this demonstration was conducted from abroad. Sudhir Chaudhary, the anchor of Indian television DD News, has accused Wangchuk of performing this act after being recruited from abroad. He said, Wangchuk had been preparing for violent protests for a long time by taking money from abroad in the name of NGO. However, he has not submitted any basis to prove his claim .