Ladakh Statehood Crisis: Government Releases 26 Protesters as Goodwill Gesture Amid Ongoing Tensions

Srinagar: The government has released 26 individuals detained during last week's violent protests in Ladakh as a goodwill gesture aimed at calming tensions and demonstrating commitment to peaceful resolution of the ongoing statehood demands.

Leaders from Ladakh and family members gathered at Leh District Jail Thursday morning to welcome the released detainees. The 26 men were honored with khatas, traditional white scarves symbolizing respect in the Himalayan region. Tsering Dorje Lakruk, Co-Chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), participated in the welcoming ceremony.

This conciliatory move followed LAB's announcement to withdraw from governmental discussions due to the continued detention of protesters, including prominent environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has become the movement's figurehead.

Wangchuk, 59, was arrested three days after the violence erupted and charged under the National Security Act, which permits detention without trial for up to 12 months initially. Despite accusations of inciting violence—charges he denies—Wangchuk remains held in a Rajasthan facility. Before his arrest, he had been leading a 15-day hunger strike in Leh, but reports indicate he had called off the demonstration and appealed for calm when clashes began.

The LAB has requested the federal government to revoke Wangchuk's detention order, though this has not occurred. Nevertheless, the government promptly responded to the broader concerns, affirming its "always maintained open position for dialogue" with both the LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which represents the region's Muslim community.

The pro-statehood movement, which has been building over four years, violently erupted on September 24, triggered by the hospitalization of hunger-striking activists and growing frustration with the slow pace of governmental talks, with a fourth round scheduled for October.

The unrest resulted in tragic consequences: four fatalities occurred during confrontations between protesters and security forces. A CRPF vehicle was damaged, and the BJP's Leh office was set ablaze. Dozens suffered injuries, including police personnel, and over 50 individuals were subsequently arrested.

A central demand from both the LAB and KDA is a judicial investigation into the four deaths, which they attribute to CRPF personnel gunfire. Among the deceased was Tsewang Tharchin, an Army soldier from the Ladakh Scouts who had served in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan.

Ladakh was established as a separate union territory in August 2019 following Article 370's abrogation and Jammu and Kashmir's bifurcation. Initially, many Leh residents, including Wangchuk, welcomed this change. However, within a year, concerns grew regarding what locals perceived as a political vacuum under the Lieutenant Governor's administration.

These concerns sparked widespread protests and hunger strikes, creating unprecedented unity between political and religious groups from Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil.

Despite multiple rounds of discussions with the government, no breakthrough has emerged. In March, Ladakhi representatives met with Home Minister Amit Shah, after which regional discontent intensified when Shah reportedly rejected their core demand. According to one leader who spoke to NDTV, "During the meeting, he told us he had made a mistake by carving out Ladakh as a UT. But he also rejected our demand for statehood..."