Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday demanded that the findings of the judicial inquiry into last year’s deadly violence in Leh be made public, saying, “Justice must be served to Ladakh.”Wangchuk was speaking at a rally in Leh held to mark the first anniversary of the September 24, 2025 agitation. A complete shutdown was observed across Leh on Thursday as part of “Shaheed Diwas” to remember the four people who were killed during the violence.“ The truth is being suppressed and hasn’t been revealed even after a year. The impression people here have is that there were attempts to incite Buddhist-Muslim communal riots long before this, and they have been happening. In that same sequence, three Muslims were appointed as magistrates to ensure a firing order was written, so that it could be blamed on Buddhists—that ‘they’ let people die. But look at their character; they refused. There was no need for such firing—to shoot people in the chest and do such things. All this will become clear when the inquiry commission’s report comes out. They must release it.”Wangchuk said that if the report was not released, people would seek an alternative mechanism to examine the events.“If you do not release the inquiry commission report, we will demand the creation of a ‘People’s Tribunal.’ We will appeal to those in our country’s justice system whose conscience is still alive—to those judges, retired judges, and all institutions—to form a People’s Tribunal, ask the people, and give your own judgment if this continues to be suppressed… We still hope that the government will provide justice to these martyrs and to Ladakh, which has saved the nation’s borders with such patriotism. Justice must be served to the martyrs. Justice must be served to Ladakh,” he added.Leh observes Shaheed DiwasMarkets, commercial establishments and business hubs remained closed across Leh, while public transport was largely off the roads as residents observed the shutdown.
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The September 24, 2025 protests were held over demands including statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, including inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.The protests later turned violent, resulting in the deaths of four people and injuries to several others. The administration subsequently constituted a judicial inquiry commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice B S Chauhan to examine the circumstances leading to the violence, police action and the deaths.Earlier on Wednesday, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena announced the withdrawal of criminal cases against 20 people booked in connection with last year’s violence. The announcement came a day before the anniversary.Meanwhile, the Centre and Ladakh representatives have continued discussions over constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.
