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Youth supporters of the Leh Apex Body clash with police and burned down the BJP’s district office in Leh on Wednesday.
Clashes erupted between the youth and the police, as well as BJP supporters. A police vehicle was also set ablaze; police responded with tear gas and lathi charge.
This is the latest in the ongoing struggle for statehood between leaders from Ladakh and the Centre. Next talks are expected on October 6.
Protests demanding statehood for Ladakh turned violent in Leh on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, with demonstrators clashing with police, pelting stones, and setting fire to the local BJP office. According to official sources, four people have been killed, and over 50 injured. This was the first incidence of violence emerging from the statehood movement.
The clashes erupted after the Youth Wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) led a protest march in front of the district BJP office. This follows delays in holding “meaningful talks” on granting statehood and sixth-schedule status to Ladakh. The LAB had earlier called for a shutdown in the city over this.
Following reports of stone pelting near the BJP office, the police resorted to tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowd. Clashes erupted between the youth and the police, as well as BJP supporters. A police vehicle was set ablaze shortly before the office building itself. Additional security personnel were deployed across Leh to restore order. Officials said no fatalities were reported, but several people were injured.
The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which has led repeated protests and negotiations with the Centre along with the LAB, called for a shutdown on Thursday, 25 September 2025, in solidarity.
The demonstration was part of a wider campaign spearheaded by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and local groups pressing for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike since 10 September 2025 to highlight these demands. Earlier this week, two other hunger strikers from the youth wing had to be hospitalised, prompting the call for Wednesday’s protest.
See Also: Protests in Ladakh Enter Third Week as Locals Seek Protection of Fragile Ecology
Wangchuk, who addressed supporters before the march, appealed for non-violence. After the clashes, he expressed disappointment at the turn of events, saying, “VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH. My message of a peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause.” He put a stop to his hunger-strike after 15 days, saying he did not want to exacerbate the situation. “The violence overpowered our peaceful protest, just in one day, it looks like failing. The political parties here are incompetent, they don't have the capability to give direction to youths. People are angered,” he said, “This was youth's anger, a Gen-Z revolution.”
The demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections has been building since 2019, when Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370. While many had initially welcomed the UT status, discontent grew as residents felt excluded from decision-making and feared losing land and job protections to outside corporations.
Talks between Ladakh representatives and the Union government have taken place intermittently over the past year but have failed to reach a breakthrough. Leaders from Leh and Kargil say only full statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards can address concerns over land rights, climate damage, culture, and political representation. The next round of talks has been scheduled for October 6, with both sides under pressure to prevent further escalation in Ladakh over statehood. [Rh/Eth/DS]
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