Ladakh Statehood Protests

General Studies Paper 2

Context

• Violent youth protests in Ladakh demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status have led to four deaths and over 30 injuries.

Background: From UT Status to Unrest

• August 2019: Ladakh was separated from Jammu & Kashmir and made a Union Territory without a legislature, unlike Jammu & Kashmir.
  • Initially, many Ladakhis welcomed the move, hoping for better governance and development.
  • However, the absence of legislative power and fears of demographic change soon led to disillusionment.
  • The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) emerged as key voices, representing both Buddhist and Muslim communities across Leh and Kargil.

Key Reasons for the Protests

• Lack of Legislative Power: Ladakhis lost representation in the J&K Assembly and Legislative Council.
  • The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) have limited authority, mostly restricted to spending development funds.
• Fear of Demographic and Cultural Erosion: Locals worry that opening Ladakh to outside investment could alter its fragile ecology and cultural identity.
  • Large-scale solar and industrial projects are being planned without local consent, raising concerns about land rights and displacement.
• Employment and Land Rights: There is growing demand for a Ladakh Resident Certificate to protect local jobs and land ownership — similar to protections once offered under Article 35A.

Core Demands

Government Response & Measures

• Dialogue and High-Powered Committees: The Union Home Ministry (MHA) set up a High-Powered Committee (HPC) to engage with protest leaders from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). The committee’s mandate includes:
  • Exploring constitutional safeguards for Ladakh;
  • Strengthening the LAHDCs of Leh and Kargil;
  • Ensuring protection of land, employment, and cultural identity;
  • Facilitating inclusive development and fast-track recruitment;
  • The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST), in its 119th meeting, recommended that Ladakh be brought under the Sixth Schedule.
  • Ladakh has over 97% of its population belonging to Scheduled Tribes and the need to preserve its agrarian and cultural rights.
• Reservation in Government Jobs: 85% reservation for resident Ladakhis in government employment;
  • Of this, 80% reserved for STs;
  • Additional Quotas: 4% for residents along the LAC and LoC;
  • 1% for SCs; and 10% for EWS;
  • Total reservation reaches 95%, among the highest in India.
• Regulatory Amendments:
  • Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025;
  • Ladakh Civil Services Decentralisation and Recruitment (Amendment) Regulation, 2025;
  • Ladakh Official Languages Regulation, 2025;
  • Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, 2025.
• Domicile Criteria: Individuals need to prove 15 years of continuous residence in Ladakh from October 31, 2019 (the day Ladakh became a UT), to qualify as a domicile.
  • Children of Central government employees, All India Services officers, and PSU staff posted in Ladakh are eligible under specific conditions;
• Women’s Political Representation: One-third of seats in Ladakh’s Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) reserved for women on a rotational basis.