Around 40 people have been released on bail in Leh in Ladakh as the situation has improved in the region. The release of detainees is being seen as a confidence-building measure by the Ladakh administration to ensure normalcy and create conditions for the resumption of the stalled talks on the demands of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
Four people were killed and dozens were injured, including police and CRPF personnel, in violent protests over the demand for statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.
The LAB and KDA, representing political, religious, and social organisations, have put forth a four-point demand for Ladakh with the Centre, including statehood, the Sixth Schedule, reservation in jobs, a separate Public Service Commission and two Parliamentary seats — one each for Kargil and Leh.
The Centre’s High Powered Committee (HPC), led by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, has held several rounds of talks with delegates of the LAB and KDA since 2023. However, the demand for statehood and the Sixth Schedule has proved intractable, causing anxiety in Ladakh.
#WATCH | Leh | Chief Secretary of Ladakh, Dr Pawan Kotwal says, "...Agitated with the prospects of positive talks with the government, which would lead to the resolution of most of their demands, certain sections worked in a negative manner and sabotaged the process purely for… pic.twitter.com/LzdUTYrkdn
— ANI (@ANI) October 4, 2025
After the September 24 violence, the administration imposed restrictions and arrested 70 protesters and Sonam Wangchuk, a noted climate activist and educator from Ladakh.
Wangchuk was arrested for provoking youth by making references to the ‘Arab Spring’ and ‘Gen Z protest’ in Nepal. He has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA) and lodged in a jail in Jodhpur.
The LAB and KDA, which have pulled out of talks with the HPC, have demanded a judicial probe into the violence in Leh and the release of Wangchuk and all arrested persons for the talks to resume.
Mohammad Shafi Lassu, president of the Bar Association, Leh, told THE WEEK that so far 40 persons have been given interim bail.
He confirmed that three labourers arrested during the unrest were also released, while injured persons — including about 20 who are still in hospital — were granted bail as well. “Some injured were taken to Srinagar, a Tibetan girl was shifted to AIIMS, and others from Kargil and Doda were taken for specialised treatment,” he said.
Mobile internet services, however, remain suspended in Leh since the day of the violence.
The unrest in Leh marks the most serious breakdown in the region’s stability since Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory in 2019. While the release of detainees is seen as a step towards reconciliation, the continued detention of Wangchuk under the NSA remains a key sticking point preventing the resumption of talks between the Centre and the Ladakhi leadership. |
