Ladakh Protests 2025 Pressure to protect Sixth Schedule and to grant Statehood grows

Rising Unrest in Ladakh

The September 2025 Ladakh protest wave was one of the most violent protests in the region since the status of the Union Territory of Ladakh was introduced. In Leh, protesters burned down a office of BJP, which led police to fire teargas. The fights were tragic and four people died and 30 were injured. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) responded by calling a total shutdown. In the meantime, the famous climate activist Sonam Wangchuk did lift his 15-day hunger strike, asking his people to pursue their fight peacefully.

Political Background

The recent violence is the result of the peculiarities of the political situation in Ladakh following the abolition of Article 370 in 2019. Although Jammu and Kashmir was a Union Territory with a legislature, Ladakh was put directly under the federal government and did not have a legislative body of their own. Lots of residents believe they are politically marginalized and they require greater control over their land, resources and development policies.

Sixth Schedule Demands

More than 90 percent of the population of Ladakh is a Scheduled Tribe. The protesters want to be included in the Sixth Schedule to the Indian Constitution that covers the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in land, forest, water, and local management. This kind of protection already exists in some areas of the Northeast. The demand of Ladakh is based on the safeguarding of tribal identity, avert utilization of resources, and a sustainable development.

Role of Sonam Wangchuk

The best known advocate of the rights of Ladakh has been Sonam Wangchuk, who has been famous due to his education reforms and also won the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award. He has since 2019 been pushing the government to renew Sixth Schedule protections. He claims that decentralised rule is necessary to protect the vulnerable ecosystem and local culture in Ladakh against uncontrolled industrialisation.

Co-ordinated Movements and Current Agenda.

Aggression is geared by such groups as the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). They are united in their demands such as statehood of Ladakh, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, appointment of government positions, public service commission, and separate seats in the parliament between Leh and Kargil.

The Road Ahead

The protests point to frustrated feelings of lost control and economic prospects dating back to 2019. The demands of self-governance and constitutional status of Ladakh will continue to escalate unless dealt with, and it is an urgent concern in the Indian politics.