Charred remains of vehicles after the violent protest at the BJP Office, over the Statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Ladakh administration on Thursday (October 2, 2025) ordered a magisterial enquiry into the violent protest that took place on September 24 outside the BJP office in Leh town, which led to the death of four people.
Violent protests erupted outside the BJP office in Leh town during a 35-day hunger strike called by Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) over the Centre’s delay to hold “result-oriented” talks over several long-pending demands, including Statehood and granting Sixth Schedule status to the region.
The protesters, mostly youth, torched the BJP office and vandalised the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) premises.
The enquiry into the “serious law and order situation” will be led by IAS officer Mukul Beniwal, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Nubra.
The order follows persistent demand by civil society groups — Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) — for a judicial enquiry into the death of four civilians, including a Kargil war veteran, who were killed in police action during violent protests on September 24, 2025 in Leh city demanding constitutional safeguards for the region.
When the protest happened, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and many other residents of Ladakh had been on a hunger strike since September 10, 2025 demanding constitutional safeguards for the region bordering China, which was converted into a Union Territory in 2019.
Ladakh Lieutenant-Governor Kavinder Gupta imposed a curfew in Ladakh’s Leh town on September 24, 2025 as a precautionary measure, which was later relaxed on September 30.
Mr. Wangchuk was arrested on September 27, 2025 under the National Security Act (NSA).
Published – October 02, 2025 01:26 pm IST
