This tragedy is not an isolated event but the direct consequence of years of "broken promises" from the central government, which has repeatedly ignored the legitimate aspirations of the Ladakhi people .
Since 2019, when Ladakh was carved out of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir and turned into a federally governed territory, its residents have been living with a democratic deficit. The initial jubilation over separation from Kashmir quickly turned to disillusionment as people realised they had lost their legislative assembly and were now ruled by bureaucrats appointed in New Delhi.
The region, with a population of 300,000 almost equally divided between Muslims and Buddhists, found common cause in demanding full statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides autonomy to tribal areas . These are not radical demands but calls for protections for their distinct cultural identity, land rights, and a say in their own future.
The government’s response has been a mix of delayed dialogues and empty assurances. The frustration is particularly acute among the youth. Ladakh boasts a 97% literacy rate, yet over a quarter of its graduates are unemployed—a figure double the national average . When peaceful methods, like the hunger strikes led by educator Sonam Wangchuk, yielded no results, the youth’s frustration boiled over.
Wangchuk himself called it a "Gen-Z revolution," an outburst born from a "recipe for social unrest": keeping young people unemployed and then snatching their democratic rights . The government’s attempt to blame Wangchuk for inciting violence, while simultaneously canceling his NGO's license, is a familiar tactic of silencing dissent rather than addressing its root causes .
The situation in Ladakh is also a national security imperative. The region shares a 1,600-kilometer border with China and has been the nerve center of recent military tensions . As Lt Gen Deependra Singh Hooda, a former Northern Army commander, cautioned, alienating the local population, which has traditionally supported the Indian army, poses serious risks to India's strategic stability .
The government’s heavy-handed approach—imposing a curfew, cutting internet services, and detaining protesters—may temporarily quell the streets, but it will only deepen the wounds .
The solution to the crisis in Ladakh is not greater force, but greater respect. New Delhi must immediately and earnestly engage with the region's leadership to address the demands for statehood and constitutional protections. To ignore this would be to ignore the lessons of history: that peace cannot be sustained by authority alone, but must be built on the foundation of justice and dialogue.
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