“It is a mistake to think that everything began on September 24. Ladakhis have been protesting for the past five-and-a-half years,” said 65-year-old Buddhist monk Ravi to Newslaundry. 

The killing of four men on the day protests turned violent and the subsequent security crackdown had shocked Ladakh into silence. What followed across sections of the national media and from the BJP had been a familiar narrative, one that has accompanied several anti-government protests across India. 

Ladakhis, who have among the highest gallantry awards per capita, were conveniently labelled “anti-national”. Sonam Wangchuk, India’s climate hero and the inspiration behind 3 Idiots, was held under the National Security Act, a law typically used against terror suspects, and internet services remained suspended until October 9.

Newslaundry travelled to Leh to understand the storm beneath this silence, the demands of the people of Ladakh, and why this cold desert has caught fire.

After Article 370 was abrogated, Ladakh became a union territory but without a legislature. Being governed directly by the central government and having lost its political representation and constitutional protection, Ladakh saw the demand for statehood gradually become central. Inclusion under the Sixth Schedule became another important demand, considering Ladakh’s nearly 97 percent tribal population and its fragile ecosystem.

On October 16, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs ordered a judicial probe into the September 24 violence, a move welcomed by Ladakh’s civil society groups. This also paved the way for talks between the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), scheduled to resume on October 22.

As Chering Dorje Lakruk, key-negotiator with the government and co-chairman with the LAB, told Newslaundry, “If there will be any talks, it will be about Ladakh’s statehood and the Sixth Schedule.”

Mehdi Shah, youth member of the Leh Apex Body, alleged the government was suppressing the voice of Ladakh as corporates were eyeing Ladakh’s minerals and resources. “They wanted to suppress us so that there is no consultation with the local people, the bureaucrats can take their decisions, they can give the land to whoever they want. The government is afraid of the truth.” 

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