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BJP accused Congress Councillor of instigating violence in Ladakh, which killed 4. Wangchuk ended his hunger strike as the govt blamed him for instigating protests for statehood.
BJP Claims Congress Councillor As Part Of Mob In Ladakh Violence. (X/@amitmalviya)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Congress of violence in Ladakh, showing pictures and videos of Congress Councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag being part of the violent mob. The unrest in Ladakh claimed four lives, while 90 people suffered injuries.
So far, 48 people have been detained, and an FIR has been registered. The District Magistrate of Kargil has imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the BNS, banning processions, rallies, and unlawful assemblies. Police have been deployed in strength to handle any eventuality.
BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya took to X to share a video alleging that Tsepag, Congress Councillor for Upper Leh Ward, was seen instigating a mob during recent riots in Ladakh.
This man rioting in Ladakh is Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, Congress Councillor for Upper Leh Ward.He can be clearly seen instigating the mob and participating in violence that targeted the BJP office and the Hill Council.
Is this the kind of unrest Rahul Gandhi has been… pic.twitter.com/o2WHdcCIuC
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 24, 2025
After the violence, curfew was imposed in Leh district. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was deployed to maintain law and order, alongside the CRPF and local police. Concertina wires have been installed on roads to prevent people from entering sensitive locations. Security forces have even deployed in strength to deal with any protests.
Sonam Wangchuk Calls Off Fast
Amid large-scale violence, arson, and street clashes, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk called off his fortnight-long hunger strike to press for statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh.
Wangchuk also dismissed the BJP’s allegations and said that he doesn’t believe the Congress holds such influence over Ladakh youths to mobilise them for protests.
“Congress doesn’t have such influence here that it can manage to get 5000 youth on the roads,” he said in a press conference. Wangchuk added that the councillor did deliver a remark in anger because the two people who were hospitalised yesterday belonged to his village, but believed that Congress does not have enough hold to influence the youth.
“A Congress councillor yesterday reached a hospital in anger because two people from his village were hospitalised, but Congress does not have such influence,” he said.
What Did The Govt Say?
The Home Ministry has held Sonam Wangchuk responsible for “instigating the mob through his provocative speech.” Wangchuk, who had been on a 15-day hunger strike demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, ended his fast shortly after the violence broke out in Leh yesterday.
The Government said that during Wangchuk’s hunger strike, he invoked the recent Nepal Gen Z protests to incite people.
“Despite many leaders urging Wangchuk to call off the hunger strike, he continued with it, misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal,” said a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The statement said that the mob, motivated by the provocative speeches of Wangchuk, left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as the government office of the CEC, Leh. “It is clear that the mob was guided by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements,” said MHA.
The BJP office was vandalised and set on fire, as were several vehicles. Flames and clouds of smoke could be seen from afar, with police resorting to firing and teargas shelling to bring the situation under control.
What Is Ladakh’s Statehood Movement?
Ladakh has seen growing unrest against direct central rule over the past three years. Residents have repeatedly called for statehood and constitutional safeguards to protect their land, culture, and resources.
Ladakh is classed as a union territory – meaning that while it elects lawmakers to Parliament, and directly governed by the central government.
In August 2019, Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory, following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir. But New Delhi is yet to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which allows people to make their own laws and policies.
At the time, many in Leh had welcomed the move. But within a year, concerns began to mount over what residents described as a political vacuum under the administration of the Lieutenant Governor.
This unrest led to widespread protests and hunger strikes. For the first time, political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil came together under a joint platform, forming the Apex Body of Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.
In response to this, the Centre set up a high-level committee to examine Ladakh’s demands. However, successive rounds of talks yielded no breakthrough. In March this year, Ladakhi representatives met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Local leaders said the Home Minister had rejected their core demands, NDTV reported.
Ladakh, India, India
September 25, 2025, 10:15 IST
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