Leh: A shutdown was observed in Leh and other parts of Ladakh on Wednesday, which marks the one-year anniversary of the September 24 violence that left four dead during protests last year over demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in Leh and Kargil, while traffic was thin on the roads, affecting normal life. The day is being observed by some in Ladakh as “Martyrs’ Day”.
Leh and Kargil also witnessed tribute and remembrance programmes for those who lost their lives during last year’s violence, with the day being observed as “Shaheed Diwas”.
On Wednesday, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved the withdrawal of criminal cases against 20 people, who were booked in connection with the violence.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was a prominent face of last year’s protest led a symbolic ‘padyatra’ in Leh on Wednesday to mark the first anniversary of the September 24, 2025, violence. Wangchuk announced that September 24 will be observed as Shaheed Diwas.
A padyatra proposed by the Apex Body Leh (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) from September 19-24 was limited to a symbolic march in Leh on Wednesday.
The march, joined by representatives of the LAB, was shortened due to changing weather conditions, organisers said. After covering around 20 km, the participants reached the Shaheed Memorial Park in Leh around 7 pm.
The foot march witnessed limited participation. Organisers said they had deliberately refrained from making a large-scale appeal outside Ladakh, as several people wanted locals to lead the commemorative programme.
The ‘padyatra’ was held “in memory of those who were killed in the indiscriminate firing on September 24 last year”, Wangchuk said. “The people offered prayers and paid homage to the martyrs.”
Wangchuk, who is part of the LAB and engaged in dialogue with the Centre along with the KDA, demanded early submission and public release of the report of the judicial inquiry constituted into the September 24 incident.
A year has passed without the report being made public, he said, adding that the inquiry should establish the circumstances leading to the firing, whether any firing order was issued, how automatic weapons were allegedly used against protesters and how the violence began.
Protests seeking statehood and safeguards under the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule for Ladakh turned violent on September 24. 2025, leaving four people dead and several injured. The Union Territory administration had subsequently ordered a judicial enquiry into the incident.
Wangchuk was detained two days after the incident last year under the NSA and released earlier in March this year.
Meanwhile, Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday expressed apprehension that he might be killed in an “encounter” for speaking out against the government, as he demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over last year’s violence in Leh that killed four people.
Addressing a gathering on the first anniversary of the September 24 violence during protests last year over demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards, Wangchuk said he had received warnings regarding threats to his life and was prepared to face any outcome if it served to awaken the nation.
“They have put me in jail. Now there is even a possibility that I could be encountered somewhere. People tell me, ‘You will be encountered’. If that happens, let it happen — so that the country wakes up,” the activist said.
Wangchuk also demanded that the report of the judicial inquiry be made public, and warned that an independent “people’s tribunal” will be constituted to probe the police firing if the report is not released.
Holding the home minister politically responsible for the deaths during the last year’s agitation, Wangchuk asserted that accountability must be fixed for the incident.
“Today, from Ladakh, I say — Amit Shah should resign. He has to take responsibility for what happened in Ladakh,” Wangchuk said, alleging that security personnel used automatic weapons, including AK-47s, against local youth, who were subsequently branded as “anti-national”.
Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s demand for Shah’s resignation over police action against students at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Wangchuk supported the call but questioned Gandhi’s silence over the situation in Ladakh.
“Rahul Gandhi stood up and asked how such weapons could be used against students, demanding Amit Shah’s resignation. I support that,” Wangchuk said.
“But if he demanded Amit Shah’s resignation earlier, then what about what happened in Ladakh, where AK-47s were used and people were killed, with bullets hitting their heads and chests?” he said.
