At least five people were killed, 30 police officers were injured, and several more protesters were wounded during violent demonstrations in Ladakh. An AFP reporter stated that the city, which is usually bustling with tourists, appeared deserted, with most main roads blocked by coils of razor wire and guarded by police in riot gear.
The protests erupted on Wednesday, with crowds demanding greater autonomy in the sparsely populated, high-altitude desert region, which is home to about 300,000 people and borders China and Pakistan.
India’s Ministry of Home Affairs reported that an “unruly mob” had attacked police, and a statement issued late on Wednesday confirmed that “more than 30” officers were injured.
Protesters torched a police vehicle and the offices of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while officers responded with tear gas and batons to disperse the crowds.
The statement said, “In self-defense, police had to resort to firing, in which unfortunately some casualties are reported.” It did not provide specific details on the number of deaths.
However, a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that “five deaths were reported after the protests” and that the “number of injured is in the dozens.”
On Thursday, a police unit guarded the vandalized BJP office, alongside the wreckage of a burned armored vehicle.
Approximately half of Ladakh’s residents are Muslim, and about 40% are Buddhist.
The region is classified as a “Union Territory,” which means it elects lawmakers to India’s parliament but is governed directly by New Delhi.
Wednesday’s demonstrations were organized in solidarity with prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike demanding either full federal statehood for Ladakh or constitutional protections for its tribal communities, land, and fragile environment.
New Delhi claimed that the protesters were “instigated by his provocative speeches” and pointed out that efforts were ongoing to discuss its governance.
Modi’s government split Ladakh off from India-occupied Kashmir in 2019, imposing direct rule on both. New Delhi has yet to fulfill its promise to include Ladakh in the “Sixth Schedule” of India’s constitution, which grants people the power to create their own laws and policies.
Omar Abdullah, chief minister of India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, stated that the people of Ladakh felt “betrayed and angry.”
India’s army maintains a large presence in Ladakh, which includes disputed border areas with China. Troops from the two countries clashed there in 2020, killing at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers.
