LEH, Sept 27 — Indian police arrested Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday, two days after violent protests in the Himalayan federal territory left four people dead and prompted authorities to suspend mobile internet services in Leh.
Buildings and police vehicles were set ablaze on Wednesday as crowds clashed with law enforcement. Protesters gathered near the site where Wangchuk had been on a 14-day hunger strike demanding statehood for the region. Police said they opened fire in self-defence.
A senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Wangchuk was taken into custody just before a press conference he had planned to address.
India’s interior ministry accused Wangchuk, who ended his fast following the violence, of “inciting people through provocative statements.” The ministry also revoked the license of his non-governmental organisation, the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, citing alleged violations.
Another official, also speaking anonymously, said mobile internet services were suspended in Leh on Friday as a precautionary measure.
Wangchuk, however, denied the allegations and said the unrest reflected widespread frustration with the federal government.
The Buddhist-Muslim enclave of Ladakh lost its regional autonomy in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government reorganized the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, placing Ladakh under direct administration from New Delhi.
Protesters are also demanding local job quotas and special status for Ladakh, which would allow the creation of elected local bodies to safeguard the rights of tribal areas. Federal authorities and Ladakh leaders have been negotiating these demands since 2023, with the next round of talks scheduled for October 6.
A curfew remains in place in parts of the territory, and dozens of people, including police and security personnel, were injured during the clashes.
