{"id":65053,"date":"2025-09-25T11:27:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T05:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=65053"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:30:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T06:00:19","slug":"youth-led-ladakh-protests-demands-for-statehood-sixth-schedule-and-autonomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/youth-led-ladakh-protests-demands-for-statehood-sixth-schedule-and-autonomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Youth-led Ladakh Protests: Demands for Statehood, Sixth Schedule and Autonomy"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Ladakh Protests Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule escalated, when demonstrators turned violent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The clashes left four people dead and 30 others injured, prompting a massive shutdown in Leh town led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Amid the unrest, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 15-day hunger strike, urging Ladakh\u2019s youth to continue their demonstrations peacefully and safeguard the five-year-long movement pressing the Centre to act on these demands.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Root Cause of Ladakh Protests<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current protests in Ladakh stem from the <\/span><b>2019 repeal of Article 370<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the passage of the <\/span><b>Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which bifurcated the erstwhile state.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory with a legislature, <\/span><b>Ladakh was made a Union Territory without one<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, placing it under direct central administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This lack of political representation and autonomy has kept Ladakh\u2019s status contentious, fueling long-standing discontent and the present demand for <\/span><b>statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Demand for Sixth Schedule in Ladakh<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With over <\/span><b>90% of Ladakh\u2019s population belonging to Scheduled Tribes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, there is a strong demand to bring the region under the <\/span><b>Sixth Schedule of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This provision under <\/span><b>Article 244<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows the creation of <\/span><b>Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that govern tribal-majority areas with powers to make laws on land, forests, water, agriculture, village councils, health, sanitation, and local policing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each ADC has up to <\/span><b>30 members with a five-year term<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At present, there are <\/span><b>10 such councils in the Northeast<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014three each in Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, and one in Tripura.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Supporters argue that a similar framework in Ladakh would ensure <\/span><b>self-governance and protection of tribal rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Immediate demands behind Leh protest<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>LAB\u2019s Immediate Demands &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Leh Apex Body (LAB), whose youth wing called for the September 24 protest, demanded an <\/span><b>urgent meeting with the central government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as members had been on a hunger strike since September 10.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Government\u2019s Response &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> announced that the next round of talks would be held on <\/span><b>October 6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, noting that the last meeting took place in May.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>LAB\u2019s Objection &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LAB leaders rejected the October date as <\/span><b>\u201cdictation\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while their members were still fasting. They insisted on an immediate agreement before ending the protest.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rising Tensions &#8211; <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LAB warned that while the protest was peaceful, <\/span><b>growing impatience among people<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> risked spiraling out of control, eventually sparking violent clashes in Leh.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Government\u2019s Position<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The MHA has agreed to discuss only the service commission and Lok Sabha seat demands, rejecting statehood and resisting Sixth Schedule inclusion due to its wider ramifications.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Core Demands of Ladakh Protest<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Ladakh became a Union Territory (UT) in 2019, residents have rallied around a <\/span><b>four-point agenda<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Statehood for Ladakh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to ensure self-governance beyond UT status.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Inclusion under the Sixth Schedule<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to safeguard tribal rights.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>A separate public service commission<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to address high unemployment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Two parliamentary seats<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead of one, to increase representation at the Centre.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Unemployment Concerns<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Youth discontent is driven by high joblessness, with 26.5% of Ladakh graduates unemployed, compared to the national average of 13.4%.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This has fuelled calls for a separate service commission and 95% job reservation for Ladakhis, reportedly discussed with the MHA in 2024.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Possible Way Forward in Ladakh<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A short-term solution to Ladakh\u2019s statehood demand appears unlikely due to India\u2019s <\/span><b>strategic need for unfettered access<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the border region with China.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre fears statehood could complicate troop movements and infrastructure building.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protests are therefore expected to continue, with the <\/span><b>LAB and KDA intensifying pressure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A possible compromise could involve <\/span><b>expanding the powers of Hill Councils<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, alongside <\/span><b>special job and land ownership reservations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for locals.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In return, protest groups may need to <\/span><b>set aside statehood demands<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and accept Ladakh\u2019s status as a <\/span><b>Union Territory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, at least for now.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/ladakh-protests-statehood-autonomy-centre-10269054\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ndtv.com\/india-news\/ladakh-statehood-protests-news-ladakh-statehood-demand-explained-4-dead-ladakh-protests-9337503\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NDTV<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/why-ladakh-youth-led-protests-4-demands-form-core-of-unrest-arson-in-leh-bjp-office-burns-sonam-wangchuk-reacts-101758706387182.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">HT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ladakh protests escalate over statehood, Sixth Schedule inclusion, jobs, and representation. Explore causes, demands, and possible solutions amid tensions with the Centre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":65062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2882,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-65053","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-ladakh-protests","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}