Wangchuk Seeks Shah's Resignation as Ladakh Marks Violence Anniversary
On the first anniversary of the Leh police firing that killed four civilians, Sonam Wangchuk demanded Amit Shah's resignation and blamed the Centre's Sixth Schedule reversal.
Ladakh observed a complete shutdown on Thursday as it marked one year since four civilians were killed in police firing in Leh, with climate activist Sonam Wangchuk using the occasion to demand the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Addressing a gathering at the NDS Sports Complex in Leh after a 20-km march held in memory of the four men killed on September 24 last year, Wangchuk said Shah must take responsibility for what he described as a massacre in Ladakh. He said the Home Minister would have to answer for the deaths.
Wangchuk credited the people of Ladakh with serving the country without wearing a uniform, and said they had been forced to agitate for their demands. He noted that the movement had remained peaceful for six years and asked why violence had broken out in 2025, saying the central questions were why it happened and who was responsible.
He traced the agitation to the Centre's decision not to extend Sixth Schedule protections to Ladakh. Recalling that the provision had been the top promise in the BJP's 2020 election manifesto, he said young people who sought to remind the government of that commitment were either beaten or booked by police, and alleged that these actions were directed from Delhi.
Wangchuk also recounted a visit by Ladakhi representatives to the national capital for talks with the Centre, saying they were promised everything. After two years and 15 rounds of discussions, he said, Shah told them the Sixth Schedule would not be granted, and asserted that the protection would not be extended even if the Prime Minister gave the assurance in writing.
He told the crowd that the four deaths stemmed from the betrayal of those promises, and that justice for Ladakh was the responsibility of the entire country, since the people of Ladakh have always answered the nation's call.
Four protesters were killed and 44 injured when police opened fire after a demonstration demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh turned violent in Leh on September 24 last year. Wangchuk, who was on a hunger strike at the time, was booked under the National Security Act and held in Jodhpur jail for six months.
The anniversary comes days after the Centre proposed a constitutional provision under Article 371(K) to extend additional protections to Ladakh, during a meeting of a sub-committee with the Ministry of Home Affairs earlier this month on greater democratic representation and constitutional safeguards for the region.
On Wednesday, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the withdrawal of criminal cases against 20 of the 87 people booked after last year's incident. The quashing of these cases has been a key demand of representatives engaged in dialogue with the Centre.