The Ladakh Police on Friday arrested climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, two days after demands for Ladakh's statehood and Sixth Schedule turned violent. According to a news report by NDTV, the stringent National Security Act (NSA) has been invoked against Wangchuk.
The activist was taken into custody by Ladakh Police Chief SD Singh Jamwal at 2:30 p.m., the officials said, adding that he has been shifted out of Ladakh. The administration also suspended mobile internet services in the Leh area as a precautionary measure.
Wangchuk, a leading voice for the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been spearheading the five-year-long agitation for statehood and constitutional safeguards for the residents of Leh and Kargil, which form part of the Ladakh Union Territory carved out from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
The Centre has strongly blamed him for inciting the recent violence but Wangchuk denied all the allegations.
"To say it was instigated by me is to find a scapegoat, rather than addressing the core of the problem, and this will lead us nowhere," Wangchuk said on Thursday, adding that the violence was a symptom of frustrated youth.
The arrest came a day after the Union home ministry cancelled the FCRA licence of the Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), an organisation founded by Wangchuk, citing alleged financial discrepancies and a fund transfer deemed to be against "national interest."
VIDEO | Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk arrested, leading to a large police presence in the area. Authorities have put up fences to control access and maintain order.#SonamWangchuk
September 26, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/fd4oOVjzhELadakh Violence
On Wednesday, the statehood for Ladakh movement descended into violence, arson and street clashes leaving four people dead and at least 90 injured, including 40 police personnel.
This is said to be the worst day of violence since 1989 in the cold desert region. The violence led Wangchuk calling off his fortnight-long hunger strike to press for statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, while authorities clamped curfew in the Leh district.
The Centre alleged that the mob violence was guided by the 'provocative statements' of activist Wangchuk, and certain 'politically motivated' individuals were not happy with the progress made in the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakhi groups.
In a statement, the Union Home Ministry said barring a few unfortunate incidents that happened early on Wednesday, the situation was brought under control by 4 pm and asked everyone not to circulate old and provocative videos in the media and social media.
(With inputs from PTI)
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