On September 24, 2025, a police car was set on fire by protesters near the Indian National Congress (BJP) office in Leh (AFP)
Ladakh is a high-altitude cold desert region in the Himalayas and is at the heart of recent India-China tensions. On Wednesday, violent protests led by the Z generation erupted in the region, with young people burning the regional offices of the BJP, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The protest coordinator told Al Jazeera that after the deployment of armed forces, protesters, including students, clashed with the police in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, resulting in at least four deaths and dozens of injuries. Authorities stated that dozens of security personnel were injured in the clashes.
For the past six years, thousands of residents in Ladakh have held peaceful marches and hunger strikes led by local civil groups, demanding stronger constitutional safeguards and statehood for the region. Since 2019, the region has been under a union territory status. They hope to gain the power to elect a local government.
However, according to Sonam Wangchuk, an educator who has led a series of hunger strikes, some disheartened youth have broken away from these peaceful protests on Wednesday.
"It was the eruption of the youth, a kind of Z-generation revolution, that brought them to the streets," said Wangchuk in a video statement, referring to the recent protests in South Asian countries, including the protests in Nepal earlier this month that eventually overthrew the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
So what exactly happened in Ladakh? What are their demands? How did the Himalayan region get to this point? Why is the Ladakh crisis so important?
On September 24, 2025, a police car was set on fire by protesters near the Indian National Congress (BJP) office in Leh, with smoke rising. Indian authorities reported that the police clashed with hundreds of protesters demanding greater autonomy in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, resulting in several injuries (AFP)
What triggered the Ladakh conflict?
On Wednesday morning, local Ladakh activists, under the leadership of the "Ladakh High Council," a coalition of social, religious, and political organizations, launched a hunger strike that had entered its 15th day.
Two activists, aged 62 and 71, were hospitalized the previous night after two weeks of hunger striking, prompting organizers to call for the government to shut down. Protesters were also angry about the delay in negotiations by the Modi government.
Wangchuk said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday evening that these issues made the youth feel that "peaceful methods don't work," appearing very weak at the time.
Subsequently, youth-led protest groups left the protest site at the Martyrs' Memorial Park in Leh and went to the government building and the BJP office, chanting slogans, eventually clashing with the police. Four died, one was seriously injured, and dozens were injured.
Jigmet Paljor, the coordinator of the highest body of the hunger strike movement, said, "This is the bloodiest day in the history of Ladakh. They slaughtered our youth - ordinary people who took to the streets supporting the hunger strike demands."
Paljor told Al Jazeera, "People are tired of the false promises of the government for five years, and there is anger in their hearts," and stated that his organization withdrew from the hunger strike after the violent incident and called for peace.
The Ministry of Home Affairs stated in a statement that "rowdy hooligans" caused more than 30 casualties among security personnel during the clash, and "the police had to open fire in self-defense, resulting in some casualties."
The government stated, "It is clear that the hooligans were incited by [Wangchuk]," and added that this educator "misled the public by mentioning 'Arab Spring'-style protests and the Z-generation protests in Nepal." Wangchuk has warned that if the government ignores the demands of the peaceful protesters, the youth's emotions may turn violent – but he insists he never advocated violence.
What do the protesters want?
In 2019, the Modi government unilaterally revoked the semi-autonomous and statehood status that the Jammu and Kashmir region previously enjoyed under the Indian Constitution.
The state was divided into three regions – the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, the Hindu-majority Jammu, and Ladakh, where Muslims and Buddhists each make up about 40% of the population.
Following this, the Modi government split the former state into two: Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly, and Ladakh without one. Although both states are under central government control and lack the powers of other Indian states, the legislative assembly of Jammu and Kashmir at least allows its residents to elect local leaders to represent their interests and express their views in New Delhi. Locals believe that Ladakh does not even have this.
Kashmir is a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China – three nuclear-armed neighbors each controlling parts of it. India claims full sovereignty over Kashmir, while Pakistan claims full sovereignty over all of Kashmir except the part controlled by its ally China. The Indian-controlled Kashmir region borders Pakistan in the west, and Ladakh shares a 1,600-km (994-mile) border with China in the east.
Since the formation of the state, Ladakhis have been under bureaucratic rule. More than 90% of the population in the region is listed as a Scheduled Tribe. This status has prompted calls for Ladakh to be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which provides autonomous administrative and governance structures for areas with recognized indigenous communities. Currently, 10 states in northeastern India are listed under this schedule.
However, the Modi government has so far refused to establish a state and the protection of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.
After the separation of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, it became harder for Ladakhis to find jobs in Jammu and Kashmir, where most job opportunities in the previously unified Jammu and Kashmir region were concentrated in Ladakh. Since 2019, locals have also accused the Indian government of not having a clear public sector recruitment policy.
"The (young) protesters have been unemployed for five years, and Ladakh has not received (constitutional) protection," said Wangchuk on Wednesday, "this is the root of social unrest: making young people unemployed and then depriving them of their democratic rights."
Ladakh has a literacy rate of 97%, much higher than the national average of about 80% in India. However, a 2023 survey found that 26.5% of graduates in Ladakh are unemployed, twice the national average.
Anger reached a peak on Wednesday.
"What has happened in Ladakh is too terrible," said Siddiq Wahi, a scholar and political analyst from Leh, "it is frightening to see Ladakh pushed to this extent."
He said, "Over the past six years, Ladakhis have realized the danger to their identity." He added that since they lost their rights six years ago, Ladakhis have been "insisting on reclaiming their rights."
"The anger of the youth is particularly worrying because they lack patience. They have been waiting for solutions for years," said Wahi, "now they are frustrated because they can't see their future."
An Indian security personnel stands guard near the base camp of the Siachen Glacier in a remote village of Warshi in Ladakh (Reuters)
Have there been protests in Ladakh before?
Yes. Since the region's semi-autonomous status was abolished and its statehood was removed, some local civil groups have held protest marches, sometimes even hunger strikes.
Educator Wangchuk has led five hunger strikes in the past three years, demanding constitutional protection for Ladakh. He is also the most well-known figure in the Ladakh protests – his influence is further broadened by his innovative efforts in sustainable development. Wangchuk's life story also inspired a Bollywood film that has gained a large following in China.
The location of this hunger strike – the Martyrs' Memorial Park – is to commemorate three Ladakhis who died in a shooting during a protest in August 1989. At that time, the protests arose from people's anger over Kashmir's dominance in the unified state of Ladakh, Jammu, and Kashmir.
The memorial park also commemorates two more protesters who died in a protest in January 1981 demanding Scheduled Tribe status for Ladakhis.
But the protests on Wednesday were the bloodiest day in the political history of Ladakh.
Mr. Sajjad Qazilbash, a civil member of the committee established by the Modi government to talk to the protesters, said that the violence in Ladakh "highlighted the frustration of our youth."
"The government needs to understand that there are some youths here who are angry and will not choose hunger strikes," Qazilbash said, "the Modi government should not ignore these appeals."
A military fuel tank truck carrying fuel moves toward the front lines in Ladakh region on September 15, 2020 (Reuters)
Why is Ladakh so important?
Ladakh is located on the border of the Indian Himalayas, bordering China.
The region also connects important mountain passes, airports, and supply lines, which are crucial for the Indian army. In 2020, Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.
At least 20 Indian soldiers and 4 Chinese soldiers died in the clash. The conflict triggered the mobilization of tens of thousands of troops from both sides, and heavy weapons and infrastructure were urgently transported to high-altitude areas.
Since then, Ladakh has remained the nerve center of India-China border tensions. Since last year, multiple rounds of military and diplomatic talks have eased relations between the two countries.
Now, according to political analyst Wahi, the Modi government's actions in 2019 are once again bringing new threats to India – internal threats in Ladakh. He pointed out that the Indian authorities have long regarded Kashmir as a "center of dissatisfaction." Now, they have to deal with the issue of Ladakh as well.
Sources: Al Jazeera
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