Srinagar: Organizations of Ladakh have called for a peaceful protest march on March 12 for statehood and other demands. Leh Apex Body (LAB), a group of political and religious bodies, has urged the people of Ladakh to participate in the peaceful march. Its aim is to press for another round of talks with the high-level committee of the Union Home Ministry on its demands. LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are leading the campaign to get statehood and Sixth Schedule status in the Indian Constitution.
Charing Dorje Lakruk, member of the High Powered Committee (HPC) constituted by the Home Ministry and chairman of the Leh apex body, said the purpose of the protest march is to put pressure on the central government to negotiate on their demands and release climate activist Sonam Wanchuk. Two other activists are also in custody.
Dorje told ETV Bharat, “There is a delay in talks. The government does not seem serious. The judicial commission formed after last year’s protests has been slow, due to which the youth are making rounds of the courts. We are demanding withdrawal of their cases.”
Protests broke out in Ladakh on 24 September 2025, following a 14-day hunger strike led by climate activist Wangchuk, which escalated into violent clashes with police. Four people were killed and about 90 were injured. Since then Wangchuk has been detained under the National Security Act (NSA). He is imprisoned in Jodhpur jail of Rajasthan. The Supreme Court’s decision on his petition challenging his detention is yet to come.
Dorje said the High-Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh, led by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, did not find these demands ‘appropriate’ in its February meeting. He said, “The talks remained inconclusive because they were not serious about our demands. On their request, we filed a 26-page draft proposal justifying our demands. But they told us in the meeting that the demands were not possible. What was the purpose of asking us for a proposal?”
In October last year, representatives of Ladakh had refused to hold talks with the central government until their demands, including a judicial inquiry into the killings, were met. Then the talks with HPC were stopped.
According to the initial plan of the protest march, a procession will start from Leh Chowk and gather at the Polo Ground. Dorje said that after getting permission, the leaders of the Leh Apex Body will address the march during the day.
But it could not be confirmed whether the authorities had given permission for the protest march or not, as repeated attempts to contact the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Leh remained inconclusive.
On the other hand, Rigzin Spalgon, Joint Secretary of the Judicial Inquiry Commission, gave the progress report of the three-member commission. He stressed that the investigation is being conducted in a proper, transparent and systematic manner and those who have submitted affidavits will be taken into consideration as per the prescribed procedure of the Commission. According to him, the Commission has received a large number of affidavits from the general public as well as officials of different departments of the administration and has examined them.
Spalgan further said, “A total of 22 witnesses were examined by the administration till December 2025. The investigation resumed in March 2026 and so far 18 administrative witnesses have been examined. Apart from this, 45 public affidavits have been submitted.”
He said that the commission is currently examining the affidavit submitted by the administration and will examine government and civilian witnesses. “Their statements will be recorded as part of the ongoing judicial proceedings,” Splaggan said.
