Security Forces Impose Curfew and Patrol Streets in India's Ladakh After Deadly Protests

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Security forces patrolled the streets of India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh on Thursday, 25 September 2025, after a curfew was imposed in some areas following violent protests that led to the deaths of four people. The unrest stems from long-standing demands for statehood and job quotas within the federal territory.

Television broadcasts showed troops on patrol in towns where shops and businesses remained shuttered due to the curfew and a protest call from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a coalition representing political, social, and trade groups in the region.

Mohmad Haneefa, the Member of Parliament from Ladakh, issued a statement on the social media platform X, demanding a "fair, impartial and time-bound investigation" into the deaths and calling for accountability for those responsible. He also sought relief for the bereaved families.

The protests, which have been ongoing for the past five years, are led in part by activist Sonam Wangchuk. In addition to demanding statehood, protestors are seeking special status for Ladakh under the Indian constitution to establish elected local bodies, which would serve to protect the region's unique tribal areas.

The violence erupted on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, when a crowd attacked the office of a political party and set ablaze both a police vehicle and the office of the Leh chief executive councillor. India’s home ministry stated that police were forced to resort to firing, resulting in the reported casualties.

Haji Ghulam Mustafa, a legal adviser for the KDA, condemned the violence, telling the ANI news agency that all previous protests had been peaceful. "I do not understand who gave the orders to shoot," he said.

According to an unnamed police official, at least 80 people were injured in the clashes, with six in critical condition. More than 50 individuals were arrested in connection with the violence. The interior ministry attributed the protests, which injured over 30 police officers, to "provocative" speeches by Wangchuk.

Ladakh, a Buddhist-Muslim enclave that borders China, lost its autonomy in 2019 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government separated it from the state of Jammu and Kashmir to place it under the direct administration of New Delhi.

The region's two most populous districts are Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil, which was the site of a significant military conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999.

(Source: Reporting from Reuters and local media outlets)