Ladakh protests: Thousands rally in Leh, Kargil seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule

Thousands of people in Ladakh’s Leh and Kargil districts took out peaceful protests on Monday, reiterating their demands for statehood and the Sixth Schedule.

The Apex Body Leh (ABL) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leaders, who are spearheading the movement in Ladakh, alleged that the BJP-led central government is not taking their demands “seriously” and that “their approach is negative.”

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The protests were held simultaneously in Leh and Kargil, where thousands of people marched on the roads carrying placards demanding “statehood and the Sixth Schedule.”

“This protest was yet another reminder for New Delhi to take our issues seriously. They are not keen on addressing our issues in a time-bound manner, and this was our experience in the last meeting as well,” Chering Dorjay of ABL told ET. He warned that if the central government does not fulfill their demands, the people of Ladakh will not remain silent.

“We are seeing huge enthusiasm among the people of Ladakh. Today, 10,000 people gathered at Polo Ground despite the restrictions and barricades erected by the police. A section of policemen even tried to provoke the protestors, but the protest ended peacefully,” said Dorjay. He added that even at the last meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs, representatives of the central government were trying to convince them that “statehood and the Sixth Schedule are not good for Ladakh.”

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“That was appalling, and we had some heated exchanges. Even now, there is no forward movement from their side,” said Dorjay.

The central government recently appointed Vinai Kumar Saxena as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh and also revoked the National Security Act (NSA), releasing prominent Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been jailed for over five months.

“Although our activist Sonam Wangchuk has been released, our struggle for legitimate rights, especially statehood and the Sixth Schedule, continues. We are also demanding the release of Deldan Namgyal and Smanla Dorjey,” said Sajjad Kargili of KDA.

On February 4, the representatives of KDA and ABL met MHA officials in New Delhi. This was the first meeting of the high-powered committee after the September 24, 2025, violence in Ladakh, in which four people were killed and several others injured. Of the 83 people arrested following the protests, 81 have been released on bail.

Both ABL and KDA had suspended their dialogue with New Delhi following the protests. However, after the Government of India announced a probe led by former Supreme Court judge Justice BS Chauhan into the killings and incidents of September 24 in Leh, the talks resumed. ABL and KDA have demanded that the central government conduct “result-oriented meetings with serious regularity.”