Sonam Wangchuk Blames BJP U-Turns for Deadly Ladakh Statehood Violence Erupting in Unprecedented Protests

Key Highlights

• Four people killed and over 70 injured in unprecedented violence during Ladakh statehood protests on September 25, 2025
• Renowned activist Sonam Wangchuk attributes unrest to BJP’s broken promises on Sixth Schedule protection and chronic unemployment affecting 21.9% of Ladakh’s population
• Government imposes curfew in Leh while blaming Wangchuk for inciting violence through “provocative speeches” referencing Arab Spring-style protests

Opening Overview

The serene Himalayan region of Ladakh witnessed its bloodiest day in decades as protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protection spiraled into deadly violence on September 25, 2025, marking a tragic escalation in the region’s five-year struggle for constitutional safeguards. Award-winning environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk, speaking hours after the unprecedented violence that claimed four lives and injured over 70 people, described the events as “one of the saddest days” of his life while attributing the unrest to years of unfulfilled government promises and mounting frustration among unemployed youth.

The organic outburst of violence, which targeted BJP offices and security vehicles, forced authorities to impose a curfew across Leh as Wangchuk ended his 15-day hunger strike calling for Ladakh statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The tragic events underscore the deepening crisis in Ladakh statehood movements, where unemployment rates have reached alarming levels of 21.9% overall and 33.6% among youth aged 15-29, significantly exceeding national averages.

VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH
My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause.#LadakhAnshan pic.twitter.com/CzTNHoUkoC

— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) September 24, 2025

BJP’s Broken Promises Fuel Ladakh Statehood Anger

The roots of Ladakh statehood violence trace back to what activists describe as systematic betrayal by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which prominently featured Sixth Schedule protection for Ladakh as the first point in its 2020 electoral manifesto. Wangchuk specifically highlighted the party’s complete reversal on constitutional safeguards, stating that BJP leaders had made explicit commitments to bring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule immediately after the region’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

The Sixth Schedule provides tribal areas with autonomous governance through elected District and Regional Councils possessing legislative, judicial, and financial powers over land, forests, water resources, and cultural preservation. Political observers note that the BJP’s manifesto commitment represented a crucial electoral promise to Ladakh’s 97% tribal population, who viewed Sixth Schedule status as essential protection against demographic change and resource exploitation by outsiders.

The failure to implement these constitutional safeguards has created widespread disillusionment across Ladakh statehood movements, particularly among young people who expected rapid political and economic transformation following the region’s conversion to Union Territory status. Government sources acknowledge that despite forming a High Powered Committee and conducting multiple rounds of talks with local representatives, the core demand for Sixth Schedule protection remains unaddressed while peripheral measures like language recognition and reservation adjustments have been implemented.

The Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance have consistently emphasized that without constitutional protection, Ladakh’s fragile ecosystem and indigenous culture remain vulnerable to unchecked development and external interference. Critics argue that the government’s incremental approach fails to address fundamental concerns about land rights, self-governance, and cultural preservation that drove the original statehood demand.

Unemployment Crisis Drives Ladakh Statehood Desperation

Ladakh’s unemployment crisis has reached catastrophic proportions, with official government data revealing an overall unemployment rate of 21.9% for individuals aged 15 and above, nearly seven times the national average of 3.17%. The situation becomes even more alarming when examining specific demographic segments, as youth unemployment (ages 15-29) has soared to 33.6% compared to the national average of 10.0%, while female unemployment reaches a staggering 45.2%. Among graduates, Ladakh reports the second-highest unemployment rate in India at 25.6%, significantly exceeding the national average of 13.4% for educated individuals. District-wise analysis reveals that Kargil faces higher unemployment at 23.7% compared to Leh’s 19.8%, affecting approximately 32,000 individuals across the Union Territory’s total workforce of 120,000 people.

The employment crisis has been exacerbated by what Wangchuk described as the government’s failure to deliver promised job creation, particularly at higher administrative levels where local candidates expected significant opportunities following Union Territory formation. Government data shows that Ladakh experienced the sharpest increase in graduate unemployment between 2021-22 and 2022-23, with a jump of over 16% in a single year.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey indicates that Ladakh’s workforce participation rate stands at just 39.6%, meaning only 120,000 individuals out of the total population of approximately 304,000 are actively seeking employment. Young protesters specifically cited the lack of meaningful employment opportunities as a primary driver of their frustration, particularly given government promises of thousands of jobs that never materialized following the region’s administrative reorganization.

Government Response and Ladakh Statehood Blame Game

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a comprehensive statement placing full responsibility for the Ladakh statehood violence on Sonam Wangchuk, accusing the activist of inciting mob violence through “provocative speeches” that referenced Arab Spring-style protests and Gen Z movements in Nepal. Government officials emphasized that over 30 police and CRPF personnel were injured during the attacks, forcing security forces to open fire in self-defense as protesters targeted the BJP office, Chief Executive Councillor’s office, and police vehicles.

The official statement highlighted that despite ongoing dialogue through the High Powered Committee mechanism, “politically motivated individuals” were attempting to sabotage the negotiation process. Home Ministry sources characterized the violence as deliberately engineered rather than spontaneous, suggesting that Ladakh and its young population were paying the price for “narrow politics played by certain individuals” and Wangchuk’s “personal ambitions”.

In defense of its approach, the government outlined significant measures already implemented to address Ladakh statehood concerns, including increasing Scheduled Tribe reservations from 45% to 84%, providing one-third reservation for women in councils, and recognizing Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. Officials also pointed to the commencement of recruitment for 1,800 government posts and the scheduling of the next High Powered Committee meeting for October 6, 2025, as evidence of constructive engagement.

The government statement noted that July recruitment notifications had been issued with five-year age relaxation benefits for local candidates. However, critics within the Ladakh statehood movement argue that these peripheral measures fail to address core constitutional protection demands, particularly the Sixth Schedule status that would provide autonomous governance powers over land, resources, and cultural preservation.

Violence Aftermath and Ladakh Statehood Future

The unprecedented violence has fundamentally altered the trajectory of Ladakh statehood negotiations, with Wangchuk acknowledging that many young people had lost patience with his Gandhian methods of peaceful protest. The activist revealed that younger protesters had been criticizing his adherence to non-violent resistance, creating mounting pressure that contributed to the spontaneous outbreak of violence when two elderly hunger strikers were hospitalized in critical condition.

Despite the bloodshed, Wangchuk reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful methods, stating he would “only and always take the peaceful path” until his death while hoping the government would take the demands more seriously following the tragic events. The imposition of curfew in Leh and the deployment of additional security forces signal the government’s immediate focus on restoring order rather than addressing underlying Ladakh statehood grievances.

Political analysts suggest that the violence may paradoxically strengthen the Ladakh statehood movement by demonstrating the depth of local frustration and the inadequacy of current government responses. Opposition parties, including Congress and CPI(M), have seized on the events to criticize the BJP’s handling of the region, with Congress leader Pawan Khera describing the crisis as the government’s “own creation” and calling for meaningful constitutional safeguards. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned what it termed “brutal repression” and called for genuine dialogue on statehood and Sixth Schedule demands.

As investigations begin into alleged financial irregularities involving Wangchuk’s organizations and the CBI probe into his school, the activist faces mounting government pressure that supporters view as harassment designed to weaken the Ladakh statehood movement. The scheduled October 6 High Powered Committee meeting will serve as a crucial test of whether the government can offer substantial constitutional concessions or whether the cycle of frustration and violence will continue to escalate.

Closing Assessment

The deadly violence in Ladakh represents a watershed moment in the region’s struggle for constitutional recognition and self-governance, exposing the dangerous consequences of unfulfilled political promises and chronic economic neglect that have pushed unemployment rates to crisis levels exceeding 21%. Sonam Wangchuk’s attribution of the unrest to BJP’s systematic abandonment of Sixth Schedule commitments and the failure to address youth unemployment highlights fundamental governance failures that have transformed peaceful activism into violent desperation. While the government’s immediate response focuses on security measures and blame attribution, the underlying issues of constitutional protection, economic opportunity, and cultural preservation remain unaddressed, suggesting that sustainable peace in Ladakh will require genuine constitutional safeguards rather than peripheral administrative adjustments.

The tragic events of September 25, 2025, may ultimately serve as a catalyst for more meaningful dialogue on Ladakh statehood demands, but only if both sides move beyond recrimination to address the fundamental aspirations of a region seeking dignity, autonomy, and economic security within the Indian constitutional framework.