Total shutdown in Ladakh, thousands take to streets: ‘Won’t stop demanding what’s rightfully ours’

This was the first major protest in the region since the sit-in protests in September last year. Four people had died in police firing on September 24, and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act. On Saturday, Wangchuk was released from Jodhpur jail as the Centre revoked his detention.

Member of the HPC and ABL co-chairman Cherring Dorjay Lakrook told The Indian Express that the protests remained peaceful despite large participation. “Police had put up several barricades in order to stop us, but we urged the people to remain patient, and we did that peacefully.”

The goal, he said, is to assert to New Delhi that “we will not stop demanding what is rightfully ours”.

The demands

Ladakh has been in conversation with the MHA over a four-point agenda. This includes statehood for Ladakh, safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, reservation in jobs for the youth of Ladakh, and the creation of separate parliamentary constituencies for the two parts of the region.

Of the two Autonomous Hill Councils in the region, the five-year term of the council in Leh concluded on November 1, 2025, and fresh elections to the council have not been announced. Since Ladakh was carved out of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory without a legislature, there has been some anxiety around the lack of adequate democratic representation for the people, barring one MP from the region. The Hill Council in Kargil is currently in the third year of its term.

This gap in representation, Lakrook said, has left a void. “People do not know who to turn to,” he said.

KDA member Sajjad Kargili said that if the demands of the people of Ladakh are not met, “We have no option but to continue our agitations.”

Blaming the MHA for stalling dialogue within the HPC, he said that the decision to create a Union Territory “was forced upon us without consultations and therefore the current unrest is a direct result of the Centre’s own policies.”

Ladakh MP Mohammad Hanifa Jan, who has backed these protests, also joined in the rally at Kargil on Monday.

Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics. Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers: Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state. Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights. Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More

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