Ladakh Protest Curbed by Internet Ban and Police Deployment
It Was to Be a Silent March Demanding Statehood and Sixth Schedule Safeguards
October 19, 2025
A planned silent march by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Oct. 18 was blocked in Leh, Ladakh, by police deployment and a mobile internet shutdown. In a democracy, a demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards must be heard, not silenced.
The march was part of a long-running agitation demanding statehood and safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution. The two groups had jointly called for a two-hour silent protest and a three-hour blackout later in the evening as a symbolic act of civil resistance, as reported by The Tribune.
LAB and KDA, which are regional coalitions of political and social groups formed to collectively represent public demands in Ladakh, intended to express solidarity with the victims of the Sept. 24 violence, in which several people were killed, injured or detained during clashes that broke out in Leh.
Anticipating unrest, the authorities imposed prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), suspended mobile internet and shut down educational institutions. Police and paramilitary forces were stationed in and around Leh to prevent any gatherings. The restrictions prevented the march from taking place, and reports emerged that Chering Dorjay, co-chair of the LAB, was put under house arrest.
In contrast, the march in Kargil went ahead without disruption. Until 2019, both Kargil and Leh were part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. After the revocation of Article 370 on Aug. 5, 2019, the region was reorganised. Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory, with no legislature, consisting of just these two districts. While Leh is predominantly Buddhist, Kargil has a Shia Muslim majority.
Led by KDA leaders Asgar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili, hundreds of people walked silently through the streets, wearing black bands and holding placards with their demands. The leaders reportedly welcomed the announcement of a judicial inquiry into the September violence and urged the government to release those detained, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, and compensate the victims’ families.
The government’s use of internet shutdowns and force to block a peaceful march in Leh appears to have come from a fear of public gathering rather than any real threat to order. A quiet show of dissent was treated like a crime. By placing leaders under house arrest and filling the streets with security forces, the administration made it look as if maintaining control mattered more than allowing citizens to speak.
The crackdown is especially troubling in the context of the ongoing dialogue between the LAB-KDA alliance and the Centre. Both groups have repeatedly said they favour negotiations. Their willingness to return to the table even after the violence of September shows political maturity. But using force to silence them only delays the possibility of a constructive resolution.
Protest in a region reshaped by a major administrative shift and rising public frustration is a way for citizens to make themselves heard when they feel ignored.
The government has not said why it cannot meet the people of Ladakh’s demand for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards. It has given no timeline, no reason, and no sign of when or whether it plans to act.
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