'Betrayal, broken promise': AISA blames BJP after 4 killed, 90 injured in Ladakh statehood protests

Amid escalating protests in Ladakh over long-standing demand of statehood and Sixth Schedule status of the Indian Constitution, the All India Students’ Association (AISA) said the recent bloodshed was the direct consequence of the BJP-led government’s refusal to engage with the people of Ladakh.

On September 24, Ladakh saw a massive wave of protests for the long-standing demand for a statement. The protests were a result of the BJP-led government’s refusal to engage with the people despite multiple assertions through media, strikes, and even long marches, AISA claimed.

“Today, when more than 30 people have been injured and at least 4 people have died in the violent clashes in Ladakh, none but the BJP is to blame for the bloodshed of innocent civilians,” the statement read.

“After the Abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 and the trifurcation of the erstwhile state of JCK, Ladakh has only seen betrayals, underdevelopment. and exploitation through the broken promises of the BJP government,” it said.

“Local governance has been rendered powerless and all democratic aspirations of the people of Ladakh have been ignored. Meanwhile, the natural resources and environment of the region has been subjected to unprecedented plunder by the administration hand in hand with the corporates,” Neha, All India president ,and Prasenjeet Kumar, general secretary, said in a joint statement.

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Ladakh administration’s response

Police on Friday arrested climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, two days after protests demanding Ladakh's statehood left four people dead and 90 injured in the Union Territory. The student group, AISA, has also called for a protest at 12 pm today, demanding immediate release of Wangchuk.

The administration also snapped mobile internet services in the Leh area as a precautionary measure. Wangchuk, a leading voice for the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), has been spearheading the five-year-long agitation for statehood and constitutional safeguards for the residents of Leh and Kargil, which form part of the Ladakh Union Territory carved out from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.

Defending its decision to detain Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA), the administration claimed that his speeches and videos had incited the violence.

The Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) in Leh said Wangchuk, who began a hunger strike on September 10, had ignored the government’s offer of dialogue through the high-powered committee. Instead, it alleged, he delivered a series of “provocative speeches” with references to the Nepal agitation and the Arab Spring that “misled the public” and triggered violence on September 24.

“His misleading videos resulted in institutions, buildings and vehicles being burnt down, and police personnel being attacked, leading to the unfortunate death of four individuals,” the administration said. It added that keeping Wangchuk in Leh was “not advisable” and that, based on “specific inputs,” he was shifted to Jodhpur prison in Rajasthan under NSA to prevent further disruption of public order.

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HP minister expresses solidarity

Himachal revenue and horticulture minister Jagat Singh Negi came out in support of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and said that the people of Ladakh and Wangchuk are only demanding their constitutional rights.

He told PTI that the BJP is operating with “repressive policies” and “is using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a tool to suppress the opposition across the country".

The minister informed that the Cabinet had taken 1,087 decisions out of which 1,039 have been successfully implemented between January 13, 2023, and June 30, 2025. Negi, who also chaired the 262nd meeting of the Board of Directors of Himachal Pradesh Agro Industries Corporation Limited (HPAIC) said that the Corporation achieved a turnover of Rs 33 crore (pre-audit) and earned a net profit of Rs 93.34 lakh (pre-audit) in five months.