The government on Monday held activist Sonam Wangchuk responsible for violent clashes in Ladakh that left four people dead and 70 others injured. "In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike, he continued with it and misled the people through provocative mentions of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal," the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

"A mob motivated by his provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as the government office of the CEC Leh... It is clear that the mob was guided by Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements," it added.

Government sources stated that the unrest in Ladakh did not happen spontaneously but was deliberately engineered. They argued that the region and its young population are suffering greatly due to the narrow-minded politics of certain individuals and the personal ambitions of activist Sonam Wangchuk. The young people of Ladakh should not be blamed, they added, as they were misled and enticed into a conspiracy for political and personal gains. The Centre, they asserted, remains committed to the welfare and empowerment of the people of Ladakh.

Protesters demanding statehood clashed with police and set to fire the Ladakh Hill Council Assembly Hall, the Leh deputy commissioner said. The administration reported that 50 security force personnel were injured in stone pelting by the crowd.

Wangchuk also ended his fortnight-long hunger strike, which had been organised to press for statehood and the extension of the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh. The Centre had already scheduled October 6 for a meeting of a high-powered committee to deliberate on the issues raised by the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, and had agreed to new members as suggested by the Apex Body. Sources said meetings were also being considered for September 25-26 after requests to advance them, adding that the Centre has always been ready for talks. They pointed out that talks were earlier proposed for July 25, but had not received a positive response.

"When talks are already lined up, why was violence provoked in the peaceful place," the sources asked. They alleged Wangchuk has long hinted at wanting an Arab Spring-style protest in Ladakh.

"... the process of dialogue through this mechanism has yielded phenomenal results by increasing reservations for Ladakh's Scheduled Tribes from 45 per cent to 84 per cent, providing 1/3 women's reservations in the councils and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. With this, the process for recruitment to 1,800 posts also commenced. However, certain politically motivated individuals who were not happy with the progress made under HPC have been trying to sabotage the dialogue process," the Ministry of Home Affairs said, referring to the high-powered committee or HPC.

Government sources added that his references to the Gen Z protests in Nepal looked like a blueprint and questioned whether he was using the Ladakh platform to hide irregularities now coming to light. They further alleged that Congress leaders made remarks sounding like instructions, including talk of throwing stones, bandhs and arson. According to them, the entire episode appears to be a conspiracy driven by politics and personal gain.

Ladakh’s Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta said a mob attempted to "burn CRPF men inside a vehicle", referring to the Central Reserve Police Force. The local BJP office was also set on fire.

As violence escalated, Wangchuk appealed online, saying he would cut short his fast. "I request the youth of Ladakh to stop the violence forthwith as it only causes harm to our cause and further deteriorates the situation. We do not want instability in Ladakh and the country," he told his supporters.

"This is the saddest day for Ladakh and for myself personally because the path we are treading for the last five years was peaceful... We held hunger strikes on five occasions and walked from Leh to Delhi, but today we are seeing our message of peace failing because of the incidents of violence and arson," he said, urging the administration to stop using teargas shells.

"We are ending our fast immediately... The aim of the hunger strike is not fulfilled if our youth lose their lives. It is time to carry forward dialogue with a cool mind. We will keep our agitation non-violent and I also want to ask the government to listen to our message of peace... when the message of peace is ignored, such a situation arises," said the activist, who is also a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

The Constitution’s Sixth Schedule, already in place for tribal communities in Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam, provides special arrangements for governance, including powers of the president and governor, structures of local bodies, alternative judicial systems and financial authority through autonomous councils.

The Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance have led protests for four years demanding statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule. Tensions had been mounting since Tuesday evening after they called for a shutdown in Leh.

Amid this turmoil, the Central Bureau of Investigation has launched an inquiry into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act involving institutions founded by Sonam Wangchuk, officials told PTI. According to CBI sources cited by ANI, the case concerns suspected FCRA violations, and in August the Ladakh administration cancelled the land allotment earlier given to the Himalayan Institute of Alternative Learning.

Wangchuk said a CBI team arrived around ten days ago with "an order" following a complaint from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding possible FCRA violations at the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh. "The order said we have not taken clearance under FCRA to receive foreign funds. We don't want to be dependent on foreign funds, but we export our knowledge and raise revenue. In three such instances, they thought it was a foreign contribution," he said.

He explained that the team visited both HIAL and the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, asking for details of funds received between 2022 and 2024. He insisted the transactions were legitimate service agreements with taxes paid, involving work for the United Nations, a Swiss university and an Italian organisation. "It was a very dignified assignment. They saw it and they were convinced. They understood it is not helping them, so they began asking for accounts outside that period," he alleged.

According to him, investigators extended their scrutiny beyond the timeframe mentioned in the complaint, even approaching schools not named in it. He said these schools provide free education to underprivileged children and stipends for project work at HIAL. "The CBI officers are still camping in Ladakh and rigorously going through records," he added, while noting he has not personally been questioned.

Wangchuk also claimed this investigation followed a series of actions against him, including a sedition case filed by local police and the revocation of land allotted for HIAL on grounds of unpaid lease fees. "Everyone knows, we have documents to show. The government had almost been apologetic in saying that their lease policy is not formed and hence it cannot take fees. It said 'please bear with us and continue construction'," he said.

He further alleged that this was followed by an income tax summons and the revival of an old complaint about unpaid labourers. "The funny part is, Ladakh is one place where there is no tax. Yet I voluntarily pay taxes, and I get summons. Then they resurrected a four-year-old complaint that labourers were not paid properly. It is guns blazing from all sides at us," he remarked.