Gupta steps down as Ladakh LG less than eight months after assuming office in July 2025
His tenure coincided with unrest in the Union Territory as the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) protested, demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.
Violent demonstrations in September left four people dead and dozens injured.
Less than eight months after assuming office, Kavinder Gupta has resigned as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, which came months after the violence over statehood and sixth schedule demands for the region that claimed four lives and left several people injured.
Gupta took oath on July 18, 2025, becoming the third Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory, after it was created as a separate Union Territory on August 5, 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370. Gupta took over as LG after the resignation of Brigadier (retd) B. D. Mishra, who had cited poor health for the decision.
Laltinkhuma Franklin, Secretary to LG, however, said that the resignation was not submitted to the Central government through his office. An official working at the Lok Bhavan, Ladakh, however, stated that it was unclear whether the Central government had accepted the resignation. “ We are also hearing out the reports about the resignation,” he said.
Gupta’s tenure was marked by an outbreak of violence in September of last year, when protests over statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule turned violent. Demonstrators damaged public property and set a BJP office in Leh on fire. During the protests, four people were killed, and several others were injured.
The talks between Leh Apex Body (LAB ) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) with the Central government earlier remained suspended after the Septmeber violence, which only resumed last month.
Senior Congress leader, Asgar Ali Karbalai, said that in their talks with the Central government, they had blamed the LG Gupta and the DGP for the violence which “could have been avoided if the police personnel had exercised restraint.” “The protests were peaceful, and it was the administration that was responsible for the violence,” he said.
BJP chief spokesperson, Sunil Sethi, however, said that violence in Ladakh can’t be the reason for LG Gupta’s departure, as he has not been removed and has resigned. “This is not on the basis of any complaint, and it is a voluntary resignation,” he said.
The KDA and LAB have submitted a draft to the Central government seeking stringent action against officials responsible for the September violence, apart from outlining the structure of a prospective Ladakh state, including the creation of 30 assembly constituencies after a delimitation exercise. The Ladakhi leadership has sought that the delimitation should be carried out by the Election Commission of India in consultation with representatives from the hill development councils of Leh and Kargil, as well as the region’s Lok Sabha MP.
Previously a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and former Deputy Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, Gupta rose through the ranks of local politics. He began his career as a corporator in the Jammu Municipal Corporation, later serving as its Mayor before becoming Deputy Chief Minister during the PDP–BJP coalition government.
