Sonam Wangchuk threatened fresh protests between September 19 and September 24.
He gave the Centre one week to address Ladakh’s outstanding demands.
The MHA proposed an elected body under a new Article 371 provision.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday warned of a fresh agitation from September 19 to 24 if the Centre failed to provide assurances within a week on Ladakh’s demands of statehood and inclusion in sixth schedule.
His warning followed a meeting between the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in New Delhi on September 9. Wangchuk said representatives had expected a detailed proposal on an elected body for Ladakh but left the talks “rather disappointed”.
Taking a swipe at the outcome, he shared an old clip from comedian Jaspal Bhatti’s television show on X to suggest that the meeting had produced little new.
Padyatra Postponed After MHA Meeting
The LAB had planned a padyatra from Kargil to Leh on September 10 as part of its observance of September as “Martyrs’ Month”. The programme commemorates those killed, injured or jailed following the violence in Leh on September 24, 2025.
The group postponed the march after the MHA scheduled talks a day earlier.
“We have collectively decided to postpone the padyatra for the time being,” Wangchuk was quoted as saying by PTI.
He warned that the march could be revived if the government failed to make substantive progress. Wangchuk said the agitation would begin about five days before September 24.
“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,” he said.
Wangchuk said the delegation had expected the Centre to present a draft explaining the powers and rights of the proposed Ladakh Assembly. “If there is progress on these issues, we will consider the talks successful,” he said.
Centre Proposes Elected Body Under Article 371
Civil society members who attended the meeting said the MHA had proposed creating a directly elected body for Ladakh through a new constitutional provision under Article 371, tentatively referred to as Chapter K.
“The MHA stated that the intended UT-level body would be elected by direct election, and would have legislative powers with respect to land, culture and language, forest, environment, natural resources, and any other subject matter reserved for the UT under Article 240,” their statement said.
However, the ministry did not provide a draft defining the body’s wider legislative, executive or financial authority.
Cherring Dorjay Lakruk of the LAB told The Hindu that the proposal largely repeated what the government had discussed at a May 22 meeting. He said the delegation saw a PowerPoint presentation mentioning Chapter K but did not receive a detailed “draft proposal”.
