Wangchuk to Lead Shortened 20-km Ladakh Padayatra on September 23

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk will lead a 20-km padayatra in Ladakh on September 23, a march he says is intended to remind the Centre of its commitments to the people of the Union Territory and to seek justice for those who died a year ago.

The walk was originally to set off from Kargil but has been shortened because of the changing season. It will begin at a stupa that villagers are building in memory of those who lost their lives, and comes just ahead of the first anniversary of the violence in Leh on September 24 last year.

Wangchuk described the padayatra as a tribute to those killed, injured or jailed during the movement for safeguards for Ladakh's environment and culture and for the restoration of democracy in the region. "We want to express our concern and grief about this," he said.

Four people were killed in the violence on September 24, 2025, after which the UT administration ordered a judicial inquiry. Wangchuk has demanded that the commission's findings be made public, arguing that the report is needed to establish why the firing took place and who was responsible. He said a year was too long to wait and that the delay was breeding distrust, adding that transparency was necessary to identify any shortcomings on the part of the security forces and to prevent a repeat.

He also criticised the compensation offered to victims' families, calling it an insult. He pointed to Rs 15 lakh for those killed and Rs 1-3 lakh for those left permanently disabled, and said the victims deserved consideration comparable to other citizens.

September has been designated as a martyrs' month for those who died, were injured or jailed during the agitation, with September 24 to be observed as Shaheed Diwas, Wangchuk said.

On Ladakh's political demands, he said the leadership had scaled down its original call for full statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule over the past six years. What is now proposed is a tailor-made arrangement under Article 371, involving an elected assembly with democratic powers but short of full statehood, as New Delhi maintains that Ladakh does not yet have the revenue.

Wangchuk said he was concerned that the government was making irreversible structural changes relating to land, industries, tourism and local governance before such an assembly is established. He argued that Ladakh's fragile ecology needs protection from rapid commercialisation and that local people should have a greater say in decisions affecting the region, which he said also matters for the Himalayan water sources that serve large populations.

He also criticised the Centre's decision to convene a meeting with Ladakh representatives after the padayatra was announced, alleging that it was meant to stall the march. He said the only outcome of that meeting was another meeting scheduled for October, after the martyrs' month ends, and that the lack of substantive progress had deepened distrust.

Rejecting the argument that statehood for Ladakh could affect India's strategic interests in the border region, Wangchuk cited Arunachal Pradesh, which he said was granted full statehood for similar reasons and has remained peaceful.