As Ladakh marks one year of the Leh violence that killed four people, climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk has slammed the delay in making public the judicial panel report on the September 2025 police action. The Ladakhi activist warned that a civil society-led ‘people’s panel’ will be constituted to probe the “police excess and firing” on September 24, 2025, if the government-appointed judicial panel did not table its report.

‘Padayatra’ on September 23

Mr. Wangchuk led a one-day, 20-km symbolic padayatra on September 23, 2026 to commemorate those killed in the violence and press for justice.

What happened on September 24, 2025 in Leh? 

Tensions boiled over in Leh on September 24, 2025, after a youth-led protest demanding constitutional protections spiralled into a clash with security forces. It led to the death of four people and injured dozens, prompting the imposition of curfew across Leh and parts of Kargil. Mr. Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act (NSA), on September 26, two days after the violence. He was released after 170 days of imprisonment.

A hunger strike was started by Sonam Wangchuk on September 10 to press for Statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule (tribal status). The Union Home Ministry said the Government of India had been actively engaging with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and despite a planned meeting on September 26 with the leaders, “a mob guided by Sonam Wangchuk’s provocative statements” caused violence. A BJP office was torched and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) premises were vandalised.

Why did Sonam Wangchuk go on a hunger strike? 

On September 10, Mr. Wangchuk and other residents on behalf of the LAB and the KDA had called for a 35-day hunger strike as the demands of Statehood and Sixth Schedule status had not been met 

Following the violence, Mr. Wangchuk called off the hunger strike. Addressing a virtual press conference, he said that “nobody had an inkling something like this will happen”.

“Many leaders who came here said that peaceful protests are not enough. We never thought it will explode like this. Ladakh witnessed Gen Z frenzy today. They were not listening to anybody. They were not even afraid of bullets. This is the fifth time we have sat on a hunger strike. The youth said peaceful protests are not working… we were being told by the youth for the past few days,” Mr. Wangchuk said.

Accusing the government of defeating the peaceful protests by forcing the youth to take up violence, Mr. Wangchuk said, “We had not seen the faces of Gen Z who protested today. Till today, our complaint was that the youth are not participating and only the elderly are part of the protest. Only 25-30 youth participated so far, today it was beyond our imagination.”

What were the main demands of the protesters?

Protesters’ core demands have centred on four items: full Statehood for Ladakh; inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution; separate parliamentary representation for Leh and Kargil; and job and land safeguards for residents. These issues date to 2019, when Ladakh was separated from Jammu & Kashmir and placed under direct central administration, a change that many residents say left key questions over governance and local rights unresolved.

What did Sonam Wangchuk say to ‘The Hindu’? 

In an interview with The Hindu, on September 22, 2026, Mr. Wangchuk, who is now part of a high-powered committee to hold talks with the MHA to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, said all affidavits and other submissions before the judicial inquiry had been completed long ago, but there was no indication about when its findings would be made public. 

“One year after the incident, we don’t even have justice for these martyrs. Who is right and who is wrong has to be cleared,” he said.

Mr. Wangchuk said he had not personally deposed before the inquiry as he was in jail when the proceedings were underway. “People here are saying maybe we should constitute an alternative judicial inquiry through respectable retired judges, a people’s tribunal kind of thing, because the government-instituted commission is just not coming out with the report,” he added.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk will be discharged from Medanta Hospital in Gurugram on Monday (July 27, 2026) and will visit Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi before leaving for Ladakh, his team said.

Mr. Wangchuk, who is recovering in the hospital after he broke his 26-day fast late Thursday night (July 24, 2026) is expected to be discharged at around 11.30 a.m. on Monday (July 27, 2026) .

After his discharge, he would visit Rajghat before departing.

He earlier paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on June 28 before launching his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to support students protesting alleged irregularities, including the question paper leak, in the recently held NEET medical entrance examination.

Mr. Wangchuk had joined the agitation on June 28 and remained on an indefinite fast for 26 days. He was forcibly shifted to Safdarjung Hospital on July 18, where he said he felt like he was being kept in detention.

Following a Delhi High Court order, Mr. Wangchuk was shifted to Medanta Hospital.

The 36-day agitation, led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), ended on Saturday (July 25, 2026) with the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister. The protest had begun on June 20.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 22, 2026) dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) against the forcible shifting of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar protest site to Safdarjung Hospital on the 21st day of his hunger strike.

A bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia observed that the issue of Mr. Wangchuk’s hospitalisation at Safdarjung Hospital was earlier raised by his wife before the high court and the matter was “disposed of to their satisfaction”.

“Since an FIR is sought to be lodged in relation to a reportedly solitary incident, it is always open for the petitioner to take recourse to 173 of BNSS,” the court said.

On July 18, the Delhi Police whisked Mr. Wangchuk away from the protest site at Jantar Mantar and forcibly shifted him to Safdarjung Hospital.

The petitioner sought a direction for registration of an FIR against all police personnel and other officials who have “committed cognizable offences while dispersing the peaceful protest held on July 18, 2026 at Jantar Mantar” as well as constitution of an SIT to ensure a fair, impartial and transparent investigation.

It also sought a direction for preservation of complete medical reports, opinions of the treating doctors and the decision-making process in relation to Mr. Wangchuk’s shifting from Jantar Mantar to Safdarjung Hospital.

On Tuesday, the court ordered immediate shifting of Mr. Wangchuk from Safdarjung Hospital here to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, on a plea filed by his wife Gitanjali Angmo.

Activist Sonam Wangchuk was discharged from the Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday (July 21, 2026) evening and shifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram for further treatment in compliance with a Delhi High Court order, officials said.

Mr. Wangchuk was brought to the Medanta Hospital in an ambulance at 7.28 p.m. under tight security. He has been admitted to ICU 8 and his treatment has begun under the supervision of Dr Sushila Kataria, an internal medicine specialist, said a Medanta Hospital official.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court ordered immediate shifting of Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite fast since June 28 over alleged examination irregularities, from the Safdarjung Hospital here to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram.

“Sonam Wangchuk has been discharged from VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital today at 06:40 pm and has been handed over to the team of doctors from Medanta Hospital, Gurugram for further medical care as per the order dated 21.07.2026 of Hon’ble High Court of Delhi,” a statement from the Safdarjung Hospital said.

“At the time of discharge, his vital parameters were stable. However, pancytopenia persists, and his serum potassium level was 3.4 mEq/L.”

“Copies of all relevant medical records, investigation reports, and treatment documents have been handed over to the receiving medical team to ensure continuity of care,” the statement said.

Following the court’s order, the Gurugram police increased security in and around the Medanta Hospital.

Mr. Wangchuk was admitted to ICU 8 on the second floor of the hospital and he will remain in the ICU tonight, the Medanta official said.

“The security of the Medanta Hospital has been enhanced. Heavy police force has been deployed around the hospital,” said a senior police officer.

Earlier, a bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia passed the order on an appeal by the activist’s wife, Gitanjali Angmo, against a Sunday order of the high court refusing to interfere with his ongoing treatment at the central government hospital and direct his transfer to Medanta Hospital.

The court asked the director of Medanta Hospital to form a team of doctors with requisite expertise to constantly monitor Mr. Wangchuk.

It said the doctors shall administer medication according to the accepted medical norms and protocol, “to which the husband of the appellant shall abide”.

Mr. Wangchuk ought to be shifted to a hospital of his choice, which would fulfil his fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution, the court said.

(With inputs from PTI)

Mysuru University Research Scholars’ Association, Federation of Dalit Students, progressive organisations, Dalit groups, and farmers’ organisations staged a one-day hunger strike at Gandhi Bhavan on the University of Mysore campus on July 20 in support of educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk, Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, and others demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and abolition of the National Testing Agency (NTA).

The demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan was triggered by the NEET paper leak.

Post-graduate students, writers, artistes and progressive thinkers joined the protest in Mysuru demanding a thorough overhaul of the country’s education system in the wake of the alleged irregularities surrounding the NEET-UG examination, which they claimed to have affected lakhs of students.

Lashing out at the NDA government at the Centre over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and its failure to remove the Union Education Minister, the protesters alleged that several students had died by suicide after being unable to cope with the consequences of the examination controversy.

The protesters stated that the Cockroach Janta Party had taken up the cause of students following the alleged NEET-UG paper leak and was mobilising Gen Z youth with a clear vision for educational reforms. They appealed for public support to the movement, stating that its campaign had unsettled those in power, and offered hope to students seeking a transparent and accountable examination system.

The Cockroach Janata Party has been at the Jantar Mantar protest site in New Delhi since June 06, 2026, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

The movement started as a satirical online campaign over remarks of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant against youths, and later demanding accountability for the NEET-UG 2026 paper leaks.

It has now snowballed into a protest involving Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who began a hunger strike on June 28, 2026. Mr Wangchuk was forcibly taken to the Safdarjung Hospital in the national capital by Delhi Police personnel in the wee hours of June 18. Abhijeet Dipke, CJP’s founder, is now on a hunger strike, who called for a ‘night vigil.’ 

Mr.nMr.Dipke“Delhi Police is planning to crackdown on our protest during night or early hours of morning-silencing the voice of the youth. We request everyone to join us for night vigil at Jantar Mantar, so that together we can march to Sansad on 20th,” he said in a video posted on the CJP’s social media.

The Hindu visited the protest site. Here are a few glimpses.

Photo:
Akul Baiju

A family at the protest.

Photo:
Akul Baiju

Man holding a poster with a version of Adam Gondvi’s poetry.

Photo:
Akul Baiju

People socialising in front of the dias at Jantar Mantar

Photo:
Akul Baiju

“When will democracy open a customer care,” says a poster at Jantar Mantar

An umbrella with messages from people from different parts of the country.

Photo:
Akul Baiju

Bhim Army founder and MP Chandrasekhar Azad with CJP’s Saurav Das.

Shortly after the Delhi police moved activist Sonam Wangchuk to the hospital, Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke announced on Saturday (July 18, 2026), that he is beginning an indefinite hunger strike.

“I am starting an indefinite hunger strike beginning right now,” he said in a post on X.

Read live updates from the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar here

Mr. Dipke’s announcement came as the New Delhi DCP’s office said that Mr. Wangchuk has been shifted to the hospital for “essential medical care” as per the orders of the Delhi High Court and on expert medical advise due to his deteriorating health condition. 

Following the police action, Mr. Dipke alleged that he had been beaten up and detained by Delhi Police during what he described as a crackdown on protesters at Jantar Mantar. Police has appealed to protesters to peacefully vacate the site.

Mr. Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike for the past 21 days, demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over the alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam paper leak controversy.

Meanwhile, three students from the CPI(ML) Liberation’s All India Students’ Association (AISA) — Neha, Aameen and Manish — remain at Jantar Mantar and will continue their fast for the 21^st day, N. Sai Balaji, former AISA president said.

With inputs from PTI