SRINAGAR: Amid a deepening political impasse and simmering anger in the Union Territory, Ladakh’s top leaders have announced plans for a two-hour silent march followed by an evening blackout to protest what they called Delhi’s failure to respond to their fresh set of demands after the September 24 violence that left four people dead and nearly a hundred injured.
At a press conference held in Leh on Tuesday, representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two principal groups spearheading the agitation for statehood and constitutional safeguards, said they had jointly decided on the twin forms of peaceful protest to convey that “Ladakh remains in darkness.”
KDA leader Asgar Ali Karbalai said the date of the protest will be announced soon but added that it would involve a two-hour silent march across Ladakh, followed by a three-hour blackout from 6 pm to 9 pm. “Through this, we want to convey that Ladakh is still in darkness. There is still terror, and the atmosphere of fear continues to prevail,” he said.
The decision comes after the two groups’ meeting earlier this week, which concluded that dialogue with the Centre remains at a standstill following the September unrest. “Before this silence turns into a storm, our conditions must be met, a judicial inquiry into the killings, compensation for victims, the release of all detainees including Sonam Wangchuk, and resumption of talks on statehood and Sixth Schedule status,” Karbalai said, issuing what he termed a “final request” to the Ladakh administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The September 24 protests were triggered by a hunger strike by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been fasting for 35 days demanding constitutional protection for Ladakh. The protest spiralled into violence when security forces opened fire, leading to four deaths and widespread injuries.
Since then, communication between Delhi and the Ladakh leadership has frozen. Although the Union government has reportedly assured the groups of a judicial probe into the killings, no concrete steps have yet been taken. Both the LAB and the KDA have accused the Union Territory administration of “harassing” local residents and “silencing dissent.”
Ladakh’s lone MP Mohmad Haneefa Jan has also appealed to the Ministry of Home Affairs to address the groups’ demands and resume dialogue, warning that continued indifference could worsen the crisis.
Meanwhile, the legal fallout from the September violence continues to unfold. On Tuesday, seven individuals, including Congress councillor Stanzin Tsepag, were granted bail in connection with the unrest, Leh Bar Association President Mohd Shafi Lassu said. Tsepag, whose photograph allegedly showing a masked man holding a stick, went viral after the clashes, has denied being the person in the image. According to Lassu, a total of 49 people have now been granted bail out of more than 70 arrested in the aftermath.
As the protests gain momentum, the detention of Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA) has emerged as a flashpoint. The Ladakh administration on Tuesday defended before the Supreme Court its decision to detain the activist, asserting that he had been “indulging in activities prejudicial to the security of the state.”
Responding to a petition by Wangchuk’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, seeking his immediate release, Leh District Magistrate Romil Singh Donk, who passed the detention order on September 26, submitted an affidavit rejecting allegations of illegality or ill-treatment. “I was satisfied and continue to be satisfied with the detention of the detenue,” Donk stated, adding that the decision was made after due consideration of materials under Section 3(2) of the NSA.
The affidavit said Wangchuk had been informed of his detention and transferred to Central Jail, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, where he remains lodged. It also mentioned that he had been medically examined five times between September 26 and October 9 and found to be physically fit.
In a separate affidavit, Jodhpur Central Jail Superintendent Pradeep Lakhawat said Wangchuk was not being held in solitary confinement and was allowed visits from family members and lawyers. At the activist’s request, he had also been provided a laptop, the affidavit noted.
A Bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and NV Anjaria, which had issued notices to the Centre and the Ladakh administration on October 6, deferred the hearing to October 15.
The September 24 firing and the subsequent clampdown have reignited Ladakh’s long-standing demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule protection, which local leaders say were promised by the ruling party during the 2020 Hill Council elections but remain unfulfilled.
Commenting on the situation, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on X that “Ladakh still awaits a healing touch” from the leadership that had once pledged constitutional safeguards. Drawing attention to Ladakh’s historic ties with Mongolia, Ramesh recalled how former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s appointment of Kushok Bakula Rinpoche as India’s Ambassador to Mongolia in 1989 helped revive Buddhism in the country. “The 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s Ladakh now desperately awaits a healing touch from the nation,” Ramesh said.
As President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia arrived in New Delhi this week on an official visit to strengthen bilateral cooperation, his presence has reminded many in Ladakh of the region’s enduring spiritual connection with Mongolia — a connection forged by Bakula Rinpoche decades ago.
