Year after violent statehood protests, Sonam Wangchuk to lead 20-km march on Sep 23
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will lead a symbolic 20-km march on September 23 to reiterate the demands for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, a year after four people were killed in police firing during protests for the statehood and the region’s inclusion under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule to preserve its tribal character.
Adding to this, Activist Sonam Wangchuk, with his wife Gitanjali J Angmo, visits Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on July 27, 2026. (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times) Wangchuk’s office shared on Sunday that a “martyr’s day event” will follow the march the next day to mark the first anniversary of the civilian killings on September 24. Ladakh’s leaders have been demanding just compensation for the families of those killed and the withdrawal of related cases.
Meanwhile, Last week, Wangchuk and other Ladakh leaders threatened a fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 after a meeting with Union home ministry officials in Delhi yielded no breakthrough. The agitation was called off citing weather conditions.
Notably, The Ladakh administration revealed ₹ 15 lakh compensation each for the families of the four killed and ₹ 3 lakh for those injured. But Wangchuk shared last week he was unhappy with the amount. “Looking at this compensation, I do not feel happy. Rather, my head is down with shame,” shared Wangchuk, who spent six months in detention under the National Security Act (NSA) for allegedly inciting violence in Ladakh.
As per the latest buzz, Wangchuk, 59, was accused of misleading people by provocatively mentioning Arab Spring-style protests. The government revoked his detention in March with “immediate effect,” citing the need to facilitate “constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders.”
In further updates, His rollout came days before the Supreme Court was set to hear a habeas corpus petition over the activist’s incarceration under the 1980 law, which allows detention for up to 12 months without trial.
On top of that, Wangchuk was detained on September 26, two days after the protests over demands for statehood for Ladakh turned violent. The Central Bureau of Investigation also launched a preliminary inquiry against an institute that Wangchuk founded.
Wangchuk’s hunger strike and forcible removal from Delhi’s Jantar Mantar galvanised the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest movement against paper leaks and exam irregularities, and forced the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign in July.
Source: Hindustan Times