People getting impatient, matters can go out of hand, Ladakh protest leader Cherring Dorjay Lakruk warned on Monday (September 22, 2025). He criticised the Union Home Ministry’s decision to call Ladakh leaders for talks on October 6, calling it a “unilateral” step that came too late.
Civil society groups said the Ministry should have acted earlier since the hunger strike in Leh has already entered its 13th day. People getting impatient, they stressed, as the long wait has created frustration in the region.
Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and other residents are on a 35-day hunger strike in Leh. Their main demands are statehood for Ladakh and inclusion of the Union Territory under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which would grant it tribal status and stronger safeguards.
Lakruk warned that ignoring these demands could deepen unrest. “The Centre cannot delay talks any longer,” he said. Leaders added that the situation in Leh is tense and requires urgent political engagement.
The October 6 meeting in Delhi will test whether the Centre takes the demands seriously. Protest leaders have said they want a meaningful dialogue, not a symbolic gesture, to secure Ladakh’s political and cultural rights.
