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September 2025 Leh violence
A hunger strike over stalled statehood talks escalated into violence in which police killed four protesters.
What happened
On 10 September 2025, Sonam Wangchuk and fourteen others began a 35-day hunger strike over stalled statehood dialogue.[1]
On 24 September 2025, protests turned violent; police opened fire, killing four people and injuring around ninety others. Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act two days later and held for roughly 170 days.[2]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: On 10 September 2025, activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk and fourteen others began a 35-day hunger strike, citing frustration over stalled dialogue with the Indian government regarding Ladakh's political status.
- India: 4 Dead in Protests over Ladakh Statehood (Human Rights Watch) link, Hunger Strike Context section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
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2.
Claim: On 24 September 2025, protests in Leh turned violent after two hunger strikers were hospitalized; police opened fire, killing four people and injuring around ninety others, including about thirty police personnel. Authorities imposed a curfew, and Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act on 26 September 2025 and held for approximately 170 days before his release in March 2026.
- India: 4 Dead in Protests over Ladakh Statehood (Human Rights Watch) link, Deaths and Circumstances section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
- Ladakh protests (Wikipedia) link, Escalation to Violence section. Source record