Meanwhile, the Leh administration has decided to stick with the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which bars assembly of four or more persons. File.
| Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR
Schools reopened for classes up to Class 8 in Ladakh’s Leh town on Friday (October 3, 2025), nine days after they were closed in the wake of the September 24 street protests that left four civilians dead and over 80 injured.
The move comes as the situation in Leh remained peaceful during the curfew relaxation hours in the past few days. Officials said the Leh administration had granted school buses permission to run on Friday (October 3, 2025). However, the official order suggested reopening of classes up to Class 8.
“It feels good to rejoin my classmates in the classroom. I was missing studies and the time I spend with friends at school,” said a Class 6 student of Government Primary School Tukcha in Leh.
The movement of buses and students has enhanced the sense of normalcy in Leh town.
The schools reopened a day after 26 local people, arrested for participating in the protests, were released from the Leh jail, according to the Leh Apex Body (LAB), an amalgam of social, political and religious groups in Leh that is spearheading an agitation to press for demands of Statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Many teachers, however, urged the Leh administration to restart classes up to Class 12. “Class 10 students have to prepare for the pre-board examination,” a teacher said, on the condition of anonymity.
Besides schools, most shops remained open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “It was getting difficult to eat out during the curfew period. It has improved a bit during the daytime. However, it’s still difficult to eat out in the evenings due to the curfew,” Gabriel Marq, a tourist from France, said.
As the ground situation in Leh improves, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta reviewed the security situation again. “Lt. Governor chaired a high-level security review meeting today (Friday) to assess the prevailing law and order and overall security scenario in the Union Territory,” an official post on X said.
Meanwhile, the Leh administration has decided to stick with the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which bars assembly of four or more persons. Mobile Internet services also remain suspended.
Published – October 03, 2025 09:50 pm IST
