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Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday led a candle march in Leh, stating that from August 24 to September 24 will be marked to remember people who died in the violent clashes in Ladakh last year.
Violence broke out in Ladakh on September 24, 2025, amid protests for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. A BJP office was set on fire, and at least four people were killed in police action that followed. Speaking to ANI on Monday, Wangchuk demanded the Inquiry Commission's report into the September 2025 violence be released this month. He added that a "decisive meeting" between the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and the Centre will take place in the first week of September to further discuss the demands. Wangchuk, who spearheaded the protests in Ladakh along with the LAB and KDA, said, "This entire month, from August 24 to September 24, is being observed to honour and remember the events of 24 September 2025, which was a dark day. It was a day when five of our young men were martyred, and many others were injured, left disabled, or critically wounded. We began with a small candle march; it was kept small because His Holiness the Dalai Lama is currently in Ladakh. Once he departs, we will commemorate this month with much greater intensity." Recalling the protests last year, he added, "Regarding the situation over the past year: Ladakh has been demanding its rights for six years, but faced with delays and reluctance, people began a hunger strike on September 10 to make their voices heard peacefully. By the 15th day, when participants had to be hospitalised in critical condition, the public became deeply distressed and angry; circumstances arose, or were perhaps engineered, that led to some violence, and there is a pressing need for an investigation into this." Demanding the Inquiry Commission's report, he said that the delay was eroding public confidence. "We are also calling for action regarding the Inquiry Commission led by a retired judge; a full year has passed, yet no decision has been reached. This delay is eroding public confidence. We hope that the Inquiry Commission's report will be released this month. Regarding the decisions concerning Ladakh's demands, discussed on May 22, no subsequent meeting has taken place to date. We hope that a decisive meeting will take place in the first week of September, as promised; otherwise, we will have to make our voices heard much more loudly, albeit peacefully," Wangchuk said. Wangchuk was sent into detention for 170 days in the Jodhpur Jail following the violence in Ladakh and released in March 2026. While the LAB and KDA demand inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, the Centre has proposed that the Union Territory Administration will constitute an Autonomous Hill Development Council in each of the seven districts, providing a framework under Article 371. Ladakh moved from two districts to seven in April, when Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified. The next round of talks with the Union Home Ministry is expected in September. (ANI)
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