Ladakh protests At least four people are killed and more than 60 others are injured as protests held by demonstrators demanding statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh...

The call for a shutdown came after two of 15 people on a hunger strike, led by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, since September 10 were shifted to a hospital due to deteriorating health.

At least four people were killed and more than 60 others were injured on Wednesday as protests held by demonstrators demanding statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule turned violent.

Authorities imposed a curfew in the city, banning a gathering of more than five people.

During the arson, the local BJP office was set on fire and a vehicle was also torched, as protesters resorted to arson.

Police used teargas and baton charged the protesters to contain the violence.

Following the unrest, the Union administration in Leh imposed a curfew under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, immediately banning protests and gatherings in Leh.

An assembly of five or more people was banned, with no procession, rally or march to be carried out without prior written approval in Leh, an official order said.

The agitation, called by the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), was part of the ongoing campaign seeking statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

"We have been running a movement here for a long time on four issues of Ladakh.

There were some incidents that led to acts of violence.

During this violence, 2-3 young men have been martyred for our cause.

I want to assure the people of Ladakh that we will not let the sacrifices made by these young people today go to waste," Thupstan Tswang, Chairmain of Apex body of Ladakh, said while speaking to ANI.

Ladakh was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and became a Union Territory, coming directly under the Centre's control, after Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019.

Ladakh, who welcomed the move that carved it out of the state and made it a UT, is now demanding statehood.

The importance of the report depends on confirmed records, named authorities and any follow-up statements that clarify the scale, timing and public impact of the development.

The next useful information will be the most direct record available: an official notice, a named statement, an updated dataset, a court filing, a regulator note or a corrected public advisory.