Ladakh awaits truth, justice and accountability: Sonam Wangchuk

SRINAGAR: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Sunday said Ladakh still awaits truth, justice and accountability even after a year has passed since the killing of four civilians and cases being filed against several others.

Wangchuk, who is part of the Apex Body Leh (ABL) which, along with the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), is fighting for statehood and Ladakh's inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, said the judicial inquiry report has not been made public yet and the meagre compensation of Rs 15 lakh for the families of those killed is "painfully inadequate" and should be raised to a "dignified" amount.

On September 24, 2025, a peaceful protest for statehood and Sixth Schedule turned violent during which four civilians were killed, around 80 others injured and over 87 people were booked in cases, including Wangchuk, who was arrested under the National Security Act and sent to Jodhpur jail in Rajasthan, a day after the protests. He was released in March 2026 after he approached the Supreme Court.


The government also constituted a Judicial Inquiry Commission headed by Justice BS Chauhan, former judge of the Supreme Court, to examine what happened that day. The Ladakh administration has withdrawn cases against 20 people and announced a compensation of Rs 15 lakh each for the families of those killed on that day. ABL and KDA commemorate September 24 as 'Martyrs Day' and September as the 'month of sacrifice'.

"Ladakh is still awaiting the judicial inquiry report. Why is it taking so long? What did the inquiry find? Who ordered firing?... Could these deaths have been averted?... These are not questions to be answered by rumours, accusations or counter-accusations...," he said at a presser in New Delhi.

He said the longer the report remains unavailable, the more it creates suspicion among people that inconvenient facts may be getting buried or that those responsible may be protected. "The best way for the government to remove such doubts is simple: Bring out the truth," said Wangchuk. He took a dig at the UT administration in Ladakh stating that they spend crores of rupees on festivals and public events. "If we have money to celebrate, we must have money to heal and console... Compensation for the families of those killed should be raised to a respectable and dignified amount," he said.