Wangchuk warns of stir on Ladakh demands | India News

Ladakh leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, on Thursday threatened fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 if the Centre fails to give assurances within a week on their demands for greater autonomy and constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.The warning came a day after another round of talks between the Leh Apex Body (LAB), Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sub-committee failed to produce a draft on the proposed elected UT-level body.“We had talks again yesterday. But unfortunately, the government is yet to provide a draft on the democratic set-up of Ladakh,” Wangchuk said at a press conference in Delhi. He was joined by leaders of LAB and KDA. Wangchuk said the leaders had also sought an assurance that no major irreversible decision would be taken on local governance, land transfers and other issues until an elected UT-level body is in place.“We had a lot of hopes, but there was no progress. There was no response on draft, or assurance or anything. There was nothing new in the meeting. It essentially reiterated the understanding reached during the May 22 high-powered committee discussions that Ladakh would have an assembly, direct delimitation and elections,” he said.Wangchuk said the leaders had hoped they would not have to resume protests. “We had thought that we won’t need to carry out a protest or foot march (padyatra). But we have not been even given an assurance. So, if we don’t get an assurance in the next one week, not only will the foot march, but we would be forced to launch a massive agitation in Ladakh from September 19 to 24,” he said.“We are hopeful of getting an assurance from the government in one week,” he added.The leaders also sought withdrawal of cases registered against protesters following violence in Leh on September 24, 2025, in which four people were killed and several injured.LAB co-chairman and former minister Chering Dorjay Lakrook said the government was yet to provide compensation and withdraw the cases. “If it can happen in the case of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests on July 20, in which all cases have been withdrawn, why can’t it be done in Ladakh,” he said.KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said, “This is an injustice being done to the people of Ladakh.”Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26 last year, two days after the protests turned violent. He was released in March after spending six months in Jodhpur jail.Earlier on Thursday, Wangchuk criticised the MHA meeting on X, sharing a clip from comedian Jaspal Bhatti’s show to suggest that little progress had been made.The next meeting has been called for the first week of October, the Ladakh leaders said.Meanwhile, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, described the meeting in positive terms, saying it involved a discussion on a governance model based on Article 371 of the Constitution, according to news agency PTI.EOM