Wangchuk Challenges 60-Day Curbs as Ladakh Protests Winter Hill Council Polls

SRINAGAR: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged he is effectively under house arrest, with 20–25 armed police and paramilitary personnel, vehicles, and tents deployed around his residence at the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) in Phyang Village, about 17 km from capital Leh since Wednesday night.

The claim comes amid an ongoing crackdown on protests against the decision to hold Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) and the local bodies elections in the Union Territory during peak winter.

On Wednesday evening, police removed Wangchuk from the NDS Memorial Park (also referred to as Martyrs Park) in Leh, where he had gone to oversee preparations for a sit-in. Officials initially said he had been “advised” to remain at his residence in compliance with prohibitory orders. Later, the Additional District Magistrate, Leh, issued a formal 60-day preventive order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, based on a report from the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP).

Section 163 of the BNSS is the provision that gives executive magistrates the power to issue temporary preventive orders in urgent situations to maintain public peace and prevent harm. It is the successor to the old Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The order directs Wangchuk not to organise or participate in any unauthorised rally, procession, or public gathering that could breach public peace, disturb tranquillity, or obstruct the ongoing electoral process in Leh district. It cites his past activities and alleged attempts to “mobilise and instigate” the public. The restrictions take immediate effect and will remain in force for 60 days unless modified.

Wangchuk, in a video message and posts on ‘X’ late Thursday, rejected the official characterisation. “I AM UNDER HOUSE ARREST. Dozens of armed guards surround my house while the government version says ‘I have been advised to stay at home’,” he wrote. He said the order conspicuously avoids words such as “house arrest,” “detention,” or “confinement,” and that no written direction confining him to his residence or authorising the deployment was served on him. He described the order as “bad in law, arbitrary, vague and disproportionate” and said he would challenge it before the magistrate, the High Court, and the Supreme Court. He also alleged his reach on X, Instagram, and YouTube has been suppressed.

Police and the administration have maintained that the action is preventive, taken under prohibitory orders issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Ladakh and the District Magistrate, Leh, which ban public rallies, demonstrations, and sit-ins within municipal limits during the election period. Ladakh DGP Anand Jain stated that Wangchuk had been advised to stay at his residence to maintain peace.

The restrictions coincide with a wider ban on protests ahead of municipal and panchayat elections on November 21 and LAHDC polls on December 4 (with the process to conclude by December 8). These will establish councils in all eight districts of the UT, including newly created ones such as Sankoo, following an October 20 notification. Until now, Ladakh had only two autonomous hill councils—in Leh and Kargil. Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra has called the exercise a “watershed moment” for democracy in the region, arguing that schools remain open until mid-December and heated polling stations have been arranged.

Ladakh’s two principal representative bodies Ladakh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), along with Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa, have issued an “SOS” appeal to President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding the polls be deferred to April–May. They cite temperatures that can fall below −30°C, expected snowfall, and the fact that a substantial portion of the population -estimates range from about 25–50 per cent- migrates out during winter for education, work, or other reasons, potentially excluding many eligible voters. LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook has highlighted concerns over electoral rolls and participation. The groups insist their agitation targets the winter schedule and the lack of progress on broader demands, not elections per se.

Despite heavy security and the ban, LAB said people from various sections participated in a peaceful sit-in on Thursday, which entered its second day on Friday. The organisation described it as an exercise of constitutional rights through democratic means. KDA has extended support and planned a candle march in Kargil.

Wangchuk has also linked the curbs to his questions about the delayed report of the Judicial Inquiry Commission into the September 24, 2025, violence in Leh, in which four civilians were killed during protests demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections. He and others have accused the administration of moving at “rocket speed” on elections while dialogue on democratic safeguards has stalled. Wangchuk, who was detained under the National Security Act after the 2025 unrest and later released, has repeatedly called for the restoration of trust and constitutional safeguards for the strategically sensitive UT.

The administration has dismissed many of the allegations as misleading or politically motivated, insisting all steps are lawful and aimed at ensuring free, fair, and peaceful polls. With nominations for the hill council elections set to close on November 17 and tensions elevated, the coming weeks will test both the conduct of the polls and the strength of the movement seeking greater democratic protections in Ladakh.