Sonam Wangchuk joins Ladakh groups at Home Ministry as they push a list of non-negotiables

Ladakh groups met Home Ministry officials on Tuesday evening with a list of 'non-negotiable' demands, and activist Sonam Wangchuk was present at the meeting, The Indian Express reported.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance — the two main civil-society coalitions that have been agitating in Leh for months — submitted a draft of demands to the Ministry of Home Affairs panel. ETV Bharat, citing the groups, said the list includes a Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, a chief-minister-led Union Territory assembly, and greater control over local administration, police and land.

The demand for Sixth Schedule protections — which would give the UT tribal-area councils constitutional safeguards over land, jobs and culture — has been the core of the protests since the 2019 revocation of Article 370 split Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir and left it without a legislature.

Wangchuk, who has led student-focused peace marches and hunger strikes in Leh, has been a visible figure in the movement. The Indian Express reported that he was in attendance at the Home Ministry meeting; ETV Bharat's report did not name him.

What we can verify

• Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance met Home Ministry officials on 19 August 2026 (Indian Express).
• Sonam Wangchuk was present at the meeting (Indian Express).
• The groups submitted a draft demand list including Sixth Schedule status, a CM-led UT assembly, and control over administration, police and land (ETV Bharat, Indian Express).

What remains unverified

• The exact text of the draft and whether the Home Ministry has responded to any demand is unconfirmed at this time. No government statement has been published.
• The scale of the protest and whether fresh demonstrations are planned could not be independently confirmed.

Sources: The Indian Express; ETV Bharat.