Police fired on and killed four people in Leh, the capital of India's Himalayan region of Ladakh, on September 24, 2025, after protests over demands for statehood turned violent, Human Rights Watch said today.
The authorities have imposed a curfew and reportedly detained at least 50 people after protesters clashed with the police, setting fire to an office of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the office of the chief executive councilor, and a police vehicle. Dozens of people, including police officials, have been injured.
"As recent protests across Asia have shown, people, especially young people, are frustrated over poor governance, lack of jobs, corruption, and empty promises made by their governments," said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Instead of blaming activists who are peacefully protesting, the authorities should exercise restraint and impartially investigate and punish those responsible for violence."
The BJP-led central government blamed Sonam Wangchuk, an educator and climate activist from the region who has been spearheading the movement for statehood through peaceful marches and hunger strikes, for inciting the violence. The Home Ministry claimed that he had "misled" the people "through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal."
Wangchuk denied the claims, appealing for calm and dialogue, saying it was a "Gen-Z revolution" incited by young people's frustration over lack of jobs and a government that is unwilling to listen to their demands, which is a "recipe for social unrest."
Ladakh, on the border with Pakistan and China, was part of Jammu and Kashmir until August 2019, when the Indian government revoked the state's special autonomous status and divided it into two centrally governed territories. Ladakh became a separate administrative unit. Supported by two civil society groups, Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, people in Ladakh have been protesting since 2021 to demand statehood, jobs, political representation, and the right to make decisions related to natural resources.
On October 1, 2024, Delhi police detained Wangchuk and others participating in a nearly 1,000-kilometer march from Leh to the national capital, Delhi. The activists alleged that the police sought to prevent them from gathering at the memorial to Mohandas Gandhi on the anniversary of his birth, October 2. The authorities eventually released Wangchuk and the others and escorted them to the Gandhi memorial late on October 2.
On September 10, 2025, Wangchuk and 14 others began a 35-day hunger strike, saying they were frustrated over delays in dialogue with the government and its refusal to carry out its promises for greater autonomy for the region. On September 25, he called off the fast, following the violence that led to the four deaths.
"The mob continued to destroy the public property and attack the police personnel," the Home Ministry said in a statement. "In self-defence, police had to resort to firing in which unfortunately some casualties are reported."
The United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms prohibit the use of firearms except in cases of imminent threat of death or serious injury. Appropriate warnings are to be given when firearms are discharged.
Opposition parties blamed the BJP for the violence, saying it was a result of the BJP's failed promises and neglect of legitimate demands made by the people.
Media reports confirmed that the Central Bureau of Investigation has begun an inquiry against an institution founded by Wangchuk on alleged violations of India's foreign funding law, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), based on a Home Ministry complaint. Wangchuk denies the allegations, saying they are politically motivated. On September 25, the Home Ministry canceled the FCRA license for his nongovernmental organization, Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, which operates an alternative school widely hailed as a model for innovative education.
The Indian government has increasingly targeted civil society organizations using the FCRA, trumped-up financial investigations, and even counterterrorism legislation. The authorities have used draconian laws to arrest activists, journalists, academics, and other critics, and have also jailed environmental activists, including by accusing them of sedition. The authorities routinely criminalize dissent by preventing peaceful protests, instituting internet blackouts, and censoring social media.
"The Indian government has repeatedly tried to silence dissent by jailing activists and peaceful protesters, blaming them for violence that is often in response to its repressive tactics," Ganguly said. "Instead of taking unlawful action to silence them, the Indian government should work with activists and protesting communities to address their grievances."
