The warning came hours after Wangchuk criticised the lack of progress in talks between key Ladakh groups and the MHA sub-committee on Thursday.
Published: September 10, 2026, 6:12 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/news/india/is-sonam-wangchuk-planning-another-agitation-over-ladakh-issues-threatens-fresh-dissent-from-september-19-to-september-24-8521408/
Environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk has threatened to protest backing Ladakh demandsFile image
Social activist and educationalist Sonam Wangchuk has announced that fresh agitation could begin from September 19 and continue until September 24 if the government does not provide an assurance within a week on Ladakh-related demandsHis warning followed his disappointment with the outcome of talks held in New Delhi between key Ladakh groups and the MHA sub-committee.
Wangchuk spent six months in Jodhpur jail after he was booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) in September last year following violence in Ladakh.
He was detained on September 26 last year, shortly after violent protests over demands for greater autonomy for Ladakh left four people dead and dozens injuredThe Union government blamed Wangchuk, a 2018 Magsaysay Award winner and key figure in the Ladakh statehood movement, for inciting the clashes.
Months after his release in March 2026, Wangchuk threw his weight behind the students protesting against irregularities in NEET exam and sat on an indefinite hunger strike for 26 days from June 28.
Wangchuk disappointed over talks with MHA panel
Earlier Thursday, Wangchuk criticised the lack of progress in talks between Ladakh’s key leaders and the MHA sub-committee in New DelhiHe took a sarcastic swipe at the meeting by sharing an old Jaspal Bhatti comedy clip, saying that little had changed during the talks.
Wangchuk, in a post on X on Thursday, said leaders of the Apex Body of Leh (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) would hold a press conference at 4 pm at Ladakh Bhavan in New DelhiHe said the leaders were “rather disappointed” by the sub-committee-level meeting held in New Delhi on September 9.
The meeting was convened by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Wednesday over Ladakh’s demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards.
What will happen if talks fail?
September is being observed as a “Martyrs’ Month” by the Leh Apex Body in memory of those killed, injured and jailed during last year’s unrestThe group had also planned a padyatra from Kargil to Leh on September 10, but put it off because of the MHA talks a day before.
“We have collectively decided to postpone the padyatra for the time being,” Wangchuk was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The march could be revived if the September 9 talks fail to produce a satisfactory outcome, he saidThe march would be organised around five days before September 24, if things to come such a pass.
“We will once again appeal to people from across India to come forward in support of Ladakh, in support of the environment, and in support of the people of Ladakh who remain steadfast on the country’s borders,” Wangchuk said.
He said the Apex Body expects the government to bring a detailed draft on the proposed Ladakh Assembly, including its powers and rights, to the September 9 meeting.
“If there is progress on these issues, we will consider the talks successful,” he said.
Wangchuk said the circumstances surrounding September 24 were “not normal” and indicated that the LAB could disclose what it knows about the violence and incidents of arson if necessary.
“If Ladakh is not treated in the same manner… and a stepmotherly treatment is meted out to Ladakh and the people living along the borders, then we will be compelled to launch a very large-scale agitation after September 9,” the activist said.
