What are the main demands of Ladakh leaders regarding autonomy and governance?

Ladakh leaders, including Sonam Wangchuk, demand greater autonomy, constitutional safeguards, and a democratically elected governance model for the Union Territory, along with assurances against major irreversible decisions until an elected body is established.

Why did Sonam Wangchuk express disappointment after the talks with the MHA sub-committee?

Wangchuk was disappointed because the talks failed to produce a draft proposal or concrete progress on the issues discussed, merely reiterating previous decisions without addressing their current demands.

How will Ladakh leaders respond if they do not receive an assurance from the government soon?

If the government does not provide the requested assurances within a week, Ladakh leaders will launch a significant agitation from September 19 to 24, including a foot march, to press for their demands.

Wangchuk warns of stir on Ladakh demands

Ladak leaders threatened fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 if the Centre fails to give assurances within a week on their demands for greater autonomy and constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.

Published on: Sep 11, 2026, 07:44:20 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan, New Delhi

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Ladakh leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, on Thursday threatened fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 if the Centre fails to give assurances within a week on their demands for greater autonomy and constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.

The warning came a day after another round of talks between the Leh Apex Body (LAB), Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sub-committee failed to produce a draft on the proposed elected UT-level body.

“We had talks again yesterday. But unfortunately, the government is yet to provide a draft on the democratic set-up of Ladakh,” Wangchuk said at a press conference in Delhi. He was joined by leaders of LAB and KDA.

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Wangchuk said the leaders had also sought an assurance that no major irreversible decision would be taken on local governance, land transfers and other issues until an elected UT-level body is in place.

“We had a lot of hopes, but there was no progress. There was no response on draft, or assurance or anything. There was nothing new in the meeting. It essentially reiterated the understanding reached during the May 22 high-powered committee discussions that Ladakh would have an assembly, direct delimitation and elections,” he said.

Wangchuk said the leaders had hoped they would not have to resume protests. “We had thought that we won’t need to carry out a protest or foot march (padyatra). But we have not been even given an assurance. So, if we don’t get an assurance in the next one week, not only will the foot march, but we would be forced to launch a massive agitation in Ladakh from September 19 to 24,” he said.

“We are hopeful of getting an assurance from the government in one week,” he added.

The leaders also sought withdrawal of cases registered against protesters following violence in Leh on September 24, 2025, in which four people were killed and several injured.

LAB co-chairman and former minister Chering Dorjay Lakrook said the government was yet to provide compensation and withdraw the cases. “If it can happen in the case of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests on July 20, in which all cases have been withdrawn, why can’t it be done in Ladakh,” he said.

KDA leader Sajjad Kargili said, “This is an injustice being done to the people of Ladakh.”

Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26 last year, two days after the protests turned violent. He was released in March after spending six months in Jodhpur jail.

Earlier on Thursday, Wangchuk criticised the MHA meeting on X, sharing a clip from comedian Jaspal Bhatti’s show to suggest that little progress had been made.

The next meeting has been called for the first week of October, the Ladakh leaders said.

Meanwhile, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, described the meeting in positive terms, saying it involved a discussion on a governance model based on Article 371 of the Constitution, according to news agency PTI.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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