Political Crisis in Ladakh Deepens as Leh Apex Body Pulls Out of Government Talks; India's Asia Cup Victory is Like Operation Sindoor, says Modi; Trump Hails Pak's Field Marshal, PM as “Great” Leaders

In Leh, a Growing Sense of Disappointment and Rage at Agitation Being Called a “Foreign Conspiracy”, Congress Writes to Amit Shah on “Chilling Death Threat” by BJP Spokesperson

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

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Snapshot of the day

September 29, 2025

Sidharth Bhatia

The political crisis in Ladakh only seems to have deepened on Monday with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) pulling out of the ongoing dialogue with the High Powered Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs till normalcy is restored in Ladakh saying that “talks can’t be held at gunpoint”. “We urge the Home Ministry and UT administration to take steps to address the current atmosphere of fear, grief and anger,” chairperson of LAB Thupstan Chhewang said at a press conference in Leh. The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which along with the LAB is spearheading the agitation for statehood to Ladakh and other constitutional protections, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of activist Sonam Wangchuk and others detained and warned the Centre that its failure to meet Ladakh statehood and other core demands is “alienating” the people in the Himalayan region. Meanwhile, prominent LAB co-chairperson and Ladakh Buddhist Association chief Chering Dorje Lakruk – also a key negotiator with the Modi government on issues concerning the region – reflected on why the people of Ladakh feel deeply betrayed by the Union Government in New Delhi, especially after the abrogation of Article 370, as it has thrown Ladakh “open for the entire India” without any safeguards. “If we have a UT with a legislature, then all the funds will come to the legislature. Now, the L-G (Lieutenant Governor), commissioners, and secretaries have become our rulers. We used to curse Article 370, because it was an obstacle in our way to becoming a UT. But it protected us for 70 years,” he told The Indian Express.

Two of the four civilians killed in Leh amid clashes with security forces last week were cremated yesterday in and around the city, where curfew continued for the sixth consecutive day today. Jehangir Ali reports from Leh that “there is a growing sense of disappointment and rage among residents whose peaceful agitation for democratic rights and constitutional safeguards is being projected as a spectacular foreign conspiracy against India by officials and some sections of the media”.

She was told by the police that she would get to speak with Sonam Wangchuk as soon as he landed in Jodhpur – where he is currently detained under the draconian National Security Act – but even two days after he was taken away from Ladakh, her phone was yet to ring, Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo told Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty. That Wangchuk has been accused of being anti-national “actually speaks more about the conscience of our leaders than him”, Angmo said. She added that it was “extremely painful” that Wangchuk’s credibility is being questioned because he visited a climate-themed conference in Islamabad, especially given that he had praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s ‘Mission LIFE’ initiative while speaking there.

Wangchuk’s arrest under the NSA amounts to a “blatant attempt to silence the voices of the people of Ladakh” for raising concerns over their constitutional rights, livelihood and environment, but what has broadly transpired in Ladakh can be construed to be part of a “larger crisis unfolding across the Himalayan region”, members of the People for Himalaya campaign argue. For example, they say, what has happened in places like Kishtwar, Dharali, Sikkim and Siang recently represent “the compounded impact of climate change interacting with poor governance and policy-making centred on reckless models of extractive development”.

(Credit: Alok on X)

After a rocky start to their innings, the Indian men’s team ultimately