Ladakh came into global focus on September 24, 2025 when violence erupted in Leh. A post on X described it a statehood movement led by Sonam Wangchuk intensified, with protesters torching a CRPF vehicle and the BJP office, while Sonam appealed for peaceful protests.
BBC reported: India imposes curfew in Ladakh after statehood protests turn violent and internet was shut down. Earlier, the Leh administration didn’t talk to protesters, even when two lost consciousness and were hospitalized. Four protestors died in police firing and 70-80 were injured.
On September 26, Sonam Wangchuk, scheduled to hold a press conference on the ongoing unrest, was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of Wangchuk’s NGO (SECMOL – Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh) under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 for receiving foreign funds.
SECMOL had won the International Terra Award for the best building in July 2016 at the 12th World Congress on Earthen Architecture in France. J&K Governor NN Vohra visiting Leh in 2019 (before formation of UT Ladakh) on SECMOL completing 30 years, said the Nobel Peace Prize should be awarded to Sonam Wangchuk and in 10 years Ladakh will be world famous.
Opinions have emerged that if the Army wants to build a road to the LAC (and any other central project), permission from local councils would be needed under the Sixth Schedule, and the “real motive” behind this demand is to create hurdles in Army’s infrastructure projects in sensitive border areas. They don’t acknowledge that the BJP had promised Sixth Schedule and statehood for Ladakh. But patriotism of Ladakhis is certainly more than those writing such crap. A comment on social media reads: “Theorizing Ladakhis would turn anti-Army and anti-India is like conjecturing PM Narendra Modi embracing Islam to head the Islamic Emirate of India.”
When British officers led the Pakistani Army to invade Ladakh post-Independence, Nubra Guards fought them in absence of the Indian Army. Ladakhis are among the most patriotic and peace-loving. Ladakh Scouts have proved their mettle in all wars. Anyone who has served in Ladakh would vouch for their patriotism.
To grasp the realities, one must listen to Maj. Gen. Yash Mor; agitation for UT and jubilation of Ladakhis when it was formed; multiple promises made by the Centre in 2019; aspirations of Ladakhis for jobs, participation in administration bottom upwards, demand for an MP in 7,000 sq km Leh division; fear of corporate projects affecting livelihood and environment; lack of potable water and absence of sewage and waste disposal; deliberate intransigence of the Centre and the Leh Administration to address issues, empower locals and dialogue.
Ladakhis environmental concerns are genuine; looking at the disastrous repercussions of raping the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, Himachal and J&K. Times of India of September 27, 2025 states BJP leaders, and even a former RSS ideologue, have joined public appeal to the CJI BR Gavai for reviewing the SC’s 2021 judgement allowing the Char Dham project to continue with widened roads – severe warnings by geologists of disasters in the making are ignored. On August 6, 2010, at least 255 people died in Leh and 71 towns/villages in a midnight cloudburst and heavy overnight rains triggering flash floods, mudflows, and debris flows. Ladakh is prone to natural disasters, including avalanches and mudslides. Landslides block roads on high-altitude mountain passes throughout the year. In winter, many areas are completely cut off for prolonged blockages due to snowfall. .
An example of the politico-corporate nexus is Manipur, where the Biren Singh-regime signed a deal for 6,000 hectares of land with a corporate for palm plantation and producing palm oil. Forcible eviction of tribals living on this land became part of the ethnic cleaning campaign in Manipur. Modi’s eventual visit to Manipur on September 13, 2025, more than two years after violence erupted with 260 killed and 67,000 displaced, made little difference. A day after Modi’s visit, the house of Kuki leader Calvin Aikhenthang was torched in Churachandpur and residence of another Kuki leader, Ginza Vualzong was also targeted. On September 19, an Assam Rifles (AR) convoy was ambushed, killing two AR Personnel including a JCO. These actions were obviously by the Arambai Tenggol, raised by a BJP MP; now headed by his driver.
Sonam Wangchuk did B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Srinagar in 1987. He studied Earthen Architecture in France for two years and designed the SECMOL campus that runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuel for cooking/lighting/heating. In 2005, he was appointed a member of the National Governing Council for Elementary Education in the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development. In 2013, he invented the ‘Ice Stupa’ technique that creates artificial glaciers to store water, releasing it late spring when the farmers need water most. In 2014, Wangchuk was appointed to the Expert Panel for framing the J&K State Education Policy and Vision Document. In 2016, he initiated the project ‘FarmStays Ladakh’ providing tourists homestay with locals. Wangchuk has helped design and oversee construction of several passive solar mud buildings in mountain regions of Ladakh, Sikkim and Nepal.
In 2020, Wangchuk was to lead a ‘Pashmina March’ by Ladakhis to border areas to prove loss of traditional grazing grounds but was stopped under threat of imposing Section 144. Internet was cut off for two months and Wangchuk labelled China stooge on social media. The Centre had allotted 150 sq km of pasture land to private corporations without safeguarding locals, who feared this may increase further aggravating climate change.
In early 2024, Wangchuk fasted to draw attention to local grievances and climate change, Many Buddhist monks fasted alongside but instead of opening a dialogue, Wangchuk was hounded on social media and again dubbed a Chinese spy. Former CNS and Chairman COSC Admiral Arun Prakash wrote on X: “Having taken my Matric exam from Leh, in 1959, I learnt to admire the simplicity, courage & patriotism of Ladakhi folks. I find it sad that Mr Sonam Wangchuk’s 53-day struggle, to draw attention to local grievances, should invite troll attacks rather than hearing from our govt?”
In September 2024, Wangchuk led a 75-volunteers foot march from Leh to New Delhi. The march was organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) demanding: statehood for Ladakh; inclusion under the Sixth Schedule to protect tribal and cultural rights; a Public Service Commission to oversee recruitment and administration in Ladakh; separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil to ensure better representation. The arduous walk covered about 25-km daily enduring the challenging terrain and weather conditions. But they were arrested on reaching New Delhi and denied any official audience. Wangchuk later said he submitted a detailed memorandum of demands to PM Modi during his visit to Dras for Kargil Vijay Diwas in July 2024 but had yet to receive a response.
After the violence in Leh on September 24, 2025, Wangchuk, who was earlier dubbed a Chinese spy, is now being called an ISI agent. The smear campaign says the Wangchuk-led Gen Z protest is similar to the one in Nepal, which will spread to other states and engulf India. Ladakh DGP confirms 44 arrests including Wangchuk who earlier travelled to Pakistan. Police firing is being justified as “self-defence”. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has accused authorities of “shoot on sight” firing without warning and with the intent to kill. Describing Wangchuk as a peace loving Gandhian, KDA co-chair Asgar Ali Karbalai said, “He never believed in violence, Any fabricated stories against Wangchuk will not be accepted.”
SECMOL has denied receiving foreign funds. MHA knows the funds in question (donations?) came from within India, but without disclosing the source, insist these are foreign funds. One may also recall how swiftly the FCRA was amended when the BJP came to power in 2014 to save both the BJP and the Congress, who had received massive foreign funds, from oversight.
Wangchuk visited Pakistan in February 2025. An Indo-American, who heads a company in the US, is pretty sure this particular post of Wangchuk is AI-generated. Notwithstanding this, if Wangchuk was labelled a Chinese agent in 2020 and again in 2024, why was he permitted to travel to Islamabad? Why is the FCRA violation by SECMOL raised now when the Centre has been scrutinizing foreign funding to NGOs over the past decade? Has the MHA and Leh Administration been playing pocket billiards or building a false case against Wangchuk?
The media is flooded about Yasin Malik hobnobbing with PM Manmohan Singh. Malik says six Central governments enlisted him to help resolve the Kashmir issue but names seven prime ministers (VP Singh, Chandra Shekhar, PV Narasimha Rao, HD Deve Gowda, IK Gukral, AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh) and that IB special director VK Joshi deputed him to meet Hafiz Saeed and other Pakistani militant leaders. In 2000, Special IB Director Ajit Doval also met him. Why has Yasin Malik not been hanged in a decade plus of BJP rule despite boasting on BBC’s Hard Talk of killing IAF personnel; given that a special SC Bench was convened on a Sunday when Arnab Goswami was arrested?
The answer came from a veteran-scholar close to the power centre, who writes: “Yasin Malik was an IB asset for a few years but I think he was acting as a double agent and more loyal to ISI. GOI is as incompetent now as it was in UPA. Pahalgam was avoidable but for intelligence inefficiency. Op Sindoor, if they had combined first and second day attacks we wouldn’t have lost five aircrafts and the shock effect would have been tremendous.”
For the Centre, Wangchuk has apparently committed following cardinal sins: one, called out loss of territory to China in 2020 and repeats the same now while the defence minister sang not even an inch of territory lost and the prime minister said na koi aaya, na koi ghusa: two, dared to call for local oversight for Centre allotting land to corporates; three, wants empowerment for Ladakhis who are actually a nonentity.
A post on social media sums it up by saying: “The pattern of this Modi Govt is very clear and needs no recap. All they want is to ensure that their cronies get as much land as is possible for commercial exploitation. If the Ladakh UT is granted Statehood then an elected State Govt shall not play ball with cronies. Furthermore’ if the demand for the Sixth Schedule is met, most areas of Ladakh shall no longer be available for exploitation. It is therefore very obvious why Sonam has been arrested.” Hence, there is little chance of any change of policy by the Centre and the Leh Administration that must play ball to New Delhi.
Neglecting the demands of Ladakhis can have bearing on India’s national security although the Centre appears unconcerned about this. But while Wangchuk stands castigated as an ISI-MSS agent, what about the rest of India? Morarji Desai was reportedly a CIA agent but what about the politicians/ministers, diplomats/bureaucrats, corporate and businessmen of today whose wards are studying/have studied in the US and whose children are US citizens? Former RS MP and member of BJP said in recent years that many bureaucrats of the defence ministry are on ISI payroll/blackmail. But what about other ministries, especially the foreign ministry? China has always worked on officials serving in China. The government should heed Lobsang Sangay, former President (Sikyong – Tibetan Government in Exile) drawing attention to China’s strategy of ‘Elite Co-option’ (buying intellectuals, businessmen, journalists and YouTubers), warning India is not immune to Beijing’s political designs. Rather than concentrating on the opposition and withdrawing all cases against whoever joins the BJP (no matter how corrupt), government would do well to look within also and holistically identify those working for CIA/ISI/MSS before it is too late.
We pat our backs listening to clips like “Jaishankar told Trump – Sit Down Boy”, news items like “India tears into Pakistan at UN”, and speculation “Taliban will handover Bagram to India”
While our leaders stand to attention when visiting China, clouds on our horizon are darkening: Trump re-energizing Pakistan and Bangladesh; China’s planned airbase in Lalmonirhat (north Bangladesh; US plan for a naval base in Bangladesh; unconfirmed reports that Pakistan’s order of J-35 stealth fighters (5th Gen) is increased from 40 to 100 (equipped with air-to-air and air-to-surface nuclear capable P-19 & P-21 missiles having range of 450-600 km) with deliveries to be completed in 2026. It is time for India to stand together.
The author is an Indian Army veteran. Views expressed are personal.
