NationalThursday, 24 September 2026·The Hindu - National
Leh violence 2025: Ladakh protest, NSA detention of Sonam Wangchuk, and Sixth Schedule demand
The 2025 Leh violence, Sonam Wangchuk’s detention under NSA, and Ladakh’s Statehood and Sixth Schedule demands remain a key governance issue.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In September 2025, Leh in Ladakh witnessed violence that killed 4 people, after a youth-led protest over constitutional safeguards escalated into clashes and curfew was imposed across Leh and parts of Kargil.
Key specifics
- Sonam Wangchuk began a hunger strike on September 10, 2025, demanding Statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.
- He was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, 2025, two days after the violence.
- The protest demands included 4 core issues: full Statehood, Sixth Schedule status, separate parliamentary representation for Leh and Kargil, and job and land safeguards.
- Ladakh was separated from Jammu & Kashmir in 2019 and placed under direct central administration, which is central to the dispute.
- On September 23, 2026, Wangchuk led a 20-km symbolic padyatra to mark one year of the violence and seek justice.
Exam lens
Polity and governance, Ladakh’s 2019 reorganisation, Sixth Schedule, NSA, curfew, and constitutional safeguards are the key MCQ points; TNPSC may ask the year, the law, and the demand set in a match-the-following format.