Last year, in September, protests took place in Ladakh over several issues, including the demand for full statehood, the extension of the Sixth Schedule, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and employment reservations. During that period, some of the protests turned violent. Since then, discussions regarding these demands have continued in the region. Meanwhile, certain social media accounts are sharing a video of a protest, claiming that violent demonstrations have broken out in Ladakh following the reported arrest of educationist Sonam Wangchuk.
One social media post sharing the video stated: “Massive protests in Ladakh. Heavy violent protests started in Ladakh after the news of the arrest of Ladakh’s revolutionary leader Sonam Wangchuk. People of Ladakh want justice and freedom from the Indian Army, which is attacking common people.”
Fact Check:
The DFRAC team found during its investigation that this claim is misleading. The viral video is from a protest that took place in September last year, and the claim regarding Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is also false. We first converted the video into keyframes and then performed a reverse image search on them using Google Lens. We found multiple videos and news reports covering the protest. The viral video can be seen in a news report uploaded on the Asianet News English YouTube channel on September 24, 2025.
The information provided with the video stated: “Massive protests took place in Leh in support of statehood, as thousands of people demanded Sixth Schedule status and full statehood for Ladakh. The movement turned violent after clashes with the police, and protesters set fire to the BJP office in Leh. The CRPF and local police subsequently detained the protesters, bringing the situation under control.”
Meanwhile, we found several other media reports regarding the protest, including reports by DW and Arunachal24. The DW report stated: “Violence erupted in Ladakh on Wednesday over the demand for full statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule, leaving four people dead and around 50 injured. The Centre blamed Sonam Wangchuk for the violence.”
Similarly, the Arunachal24 report mentioned: “At least four people were killed and more than 70 injured in violent clashes between security forces and protesters demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh in Leh, triggering chaos in the Union Territory. A complete shutdown was observed in the region, with protesters setting fire to the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) vehicle, prompting authorities to impose a strict curfew across the town.”
Meanwhile, our team found that the news of Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is completely false. Sonam Wangchuk remains active on social media and shared a post on June 8 at 10:54 PM. Prior to this, on June 6, he participated in a protest organized by the Cockroach Janata Party at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Additionally, our team contacted Sajjad Hussain, a social activist and former candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency, for more information on the matter. Sajjad told us that no such violent protests are currently taking place in Ladakh and that the claims are entirely baseless. He added that multiple rounds of talks have been held and that people are now waiting for a concrete initiative from the government.
Conclusion:
The fact-check clearly shows that the viral claim is misleading. The claim regarding Sonam Wangchuk’s arrest is also false. Furthermore, the viral video is from a protest that took place in September last year and is being falsely shared as a recent incident.
