Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk Detained, Curfew and Internet Suspension in Leh; US Imposes 100% Tariff on Indian Pharma; India Terms ‘Baseless’ NATO SG’s Claim About Modi-Putin Call

A newsletter from The Wire | Founded by Tanweer Alam, Sidharth Bhatia, Pratik Kanjilal, Seema Chishti, Sushant Singh, MK Venu, and Siddharth Varadarajan | Contributing writer: Kalrav Joshi, with additional inputs by Anirudh SK

---

Dear readers

If you are already a paid subscriber, thank you! And be sure to renew your subscription when it expires.

If you like our work and want to support us, then do subscribe. Sign up with your email address by clicking on this link and choose the FREE subscription plan. Our newsletter is paywalled but once a week we lift the paywall so newcomers can sample our content. Today is that day.

To take out a fresh paid subscription or to renew your existing monthly or annual subscription, please click on the following link - https://rzp.io/rzp/the-india-cable

1. Please give us at least up to 2 business days to activate/upgrade/renew your subscription

2. These are one-time payments and there will be no auto-renewal

---

Snapshot of the day

September 26, 2025

Sidharth Bhatia

Minutes before climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk, who has been at the forefront of Ladakh’s movement seeking statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, was scheduled to hold a press conference addressing the ongoing unrest, Wangchuk was detained by police in Leh on Friday under the National Security Act (NSA), a senior government official told The Hindu. This comes hours after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cancelled the registration of Wangchuk’s non-profit to receive funds from abroad under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 and a day later the BJP-led Union government blamed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk for the unrest, alleging that his “provocative statements” and the actions of “politically motivated” groups unhappy with ongoing negotiations between officials and Ladakhi representatives that led to the deaths of four civilians caused by bullet wounds, indicating “indiscriminate firing by police.” Congress has termed the arrest as “unwarranted” and blamed the Modi-led administration of the Union territory for “mishandling” the situation.

Following Wangchuk’s arrest, authorities have suspended the internet, detained over 50 individuals, and imposed a curfew in the Ladakh capital – a familiar playbook reminiscent of the heavy-handed tactics deployed in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir to curb dissent. Four years ago, when Article 370 was abrogated and the statehood was hollowed out, academic and columnist Pratap Bhanu Mehta warned that the BJP’s efforts to “Indianise” Kashmir could backfire, resulting instead in the “Kashmirisation of India: the story of Indian democracy written in blood and betrayal.” Today, Ladakh’s clampdown reads like a chilling confirmation of that prophecy.

A day before his detention – which in hindsight Wangchuk must have expected – told The Hindu that he is not afraid of being arrested by the police and claimed that authorities were playing a blame game by making him a “scapegoat”. [See O&O] Responding to the Ministry’s statement blaming Wangchuk, his references to the Arab Spring and Nepal’s Gen Z protests reportedly stirred unruly mob fury, resulting in the local BJP office in Leh and several government vehicles being torched, he said, “It is as sad as the incident itself. The way they are dealing with the issue is childish.” “This is not the way to heal a wound, it will further aggravate the situation, it will further anger the youth. After doing all this to us... for six years of joblessness, of unmet promises, they are now just blaming me for everything,” he added. He further debunked the claim by BJP’s Sambit Patra use of a photo in a press conference, pointing out that the person shown was actually a Congress councillor.

(Credit: Manjul on X)

Leh Apex Body (LAB), a seven-member delegation of Ladakh leaders, will hold a preparatory meeting with MHA officials in New Delhi on Saturday, ahead of talks between the Centre and Ladakh leaders on October 6.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA, often criticised