Sonam Wangchuk Arrested, Home Ministry Blames Him for Ladakh Protests, Cancels FCRA Licence of SECMOL

Moneylife Digital Team 26 September 2025

Economy & Nation

Ladakh climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk was arrested in Leh on Friday, two days after violent protests over demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards shook the Union Territory (UT), leaving four people dead and nearly 90 others injured.

A police team led by Ladakh's director general of police (DGP) SD Singh Jamwal took Mr Wangchuk into custody around 2.30pm. Officials say he has been booked under the National Security Act (NSA), though details of the charges remain unclear.

The arrest followed a statement by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), which directly accused Mr Wangchuk of provoking demonstrators. The ministry alleged his speeches, including references to the Arab Spring and recent youth-led protests in Nepal, inflamed tempers that culminated in mob attacks on the local office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hill Council building, and government vehicles. Authorities claim petrol bombs were used and several vehicles belonging to security forces were torched.

The violence on 24 September 2025 turned deadly when security forces opened fire, killing four civilians: Tsewang Tharchin, a retired Ladakh Scouts soldier, Stanzin Namgayal, Jigmet Dorjay and Rinchen Dadul. Their bodies were handed over to their families on Thursday. Among the injured, seven remain in critical condition, and one was airlifted to New Delhi for treatment.

In response to the unrest, curfews were imposed in Leh and Kargil, and prohibitory orders banning gatherings of more than five people remain in force. Police says over 50 people have been detained, and some could face charges under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Two Congress councillors are also under investigation for their alleged role in the violence. Authorities are probing the involvement of outsiders, including youth from Nepal and Jammu’s Doda district, some of whom were among the injured.

The MHA action against Mr Wangchuk intensified on Thursday when the government cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licence of his non-government organisation (NGO), Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), blocking it from receiving foreign donations. Separately, central bureau of investigation (CBI) has reportedly launched a probe into another institution he founded, the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL), for alleged FCRA violations, though no first information report (FIR) has yet been filed.

Mr Wangchuk, who had been on a 15-day hunger strike demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, ended his fast after the violence erupted. While denouncing the clashes, he rejected the charges against him, calling them an attempt to deflect from the region’s deeper grievances.

“To say it was instigated by me, or sometimes by Congress, is to find a scapegoat rather than addressing the core of the problem,” Mr Wangchuk said in remarks reported by PTI. “At this time, we need wisdom, not scapegoating, because people are already frustrated.”

The government, meanwhile, highlighted steps already taken as part of ongoing talks with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which are spearheading the agitation. These include raising scheduled tribe (ST) reservations from 45% to 84%, introducing one-third representation for women in local councils, and recognising Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. Recruitment for around 1,800 posts has also been initiated.

Fresh negotiations between the Union government and Ladakhi representatives are scheduled for 6 October 2025, even as tension lingers on the ground.

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