BJP office torched by the demonstrators is pictured along a street near the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Leh on September 25, 2025. Photo: Special Arrangement
The Congress on Thursday said the crisis in Ladakh is the BJP-led Union government’s own creation and asserted that the demand of the people to bring the region under the Sixth Schedule for the protection of their identity and dignity is both legitimate and just.The Statehood for Ladakh movement turned violent on Wednesday with clashes and arson taking place on the streets of Leh. Four people died and at least 80 people were injured, including 40 police personnel, officials said.“It’s a grim reminder of the government’s failed promises. In 2019, from the floor of Parliament, the nation was assured that the humiliation being inflicted on the people of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir then would usher in peace. Six years later, the trouble has only deepened,” Congress’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X.Also read: Leh protest turns deadly; Centre blames climate activist Sonam WangchukThe loss of precious lives in Ladakh is tragic, Mr. Khera said. “Far from restoring normalcy in the valley, the Centre’s short-sightedness has pushed Jammu and Ladakh also into an incinerator of violence. This crisis is the BJP government’s own creation — one it now seeks to unfairly ignore. Ladakh’s demand for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, for dignity and for the protection of their identity is both legitimate and just. It deserves not neglect, but compassion and statesmanship,” he added.When the protestors, mainly groups of youth, indulged in vandalism and targeted the headquarters of the BJP and the Hill Council and set ablaze vehicles, the BJP had accused a Congress councillor of instigating the protestors.The Centre alleged that the mob violence was guided by the “provocative statements” of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, and certain “politically motivated” individuals were not happy with the progress made in the ongoing talks between the representatives of the government and Ladakhi groups. Published - September 25, 2025 03:26 pm IST
