Wangchuk ‘close associate’ ex-Army man arrested two months after Leh violence

Nearly two months after the September 24 violence in Leh, Ladakh Police have arrested former Army man Tsering Stanba, who was on a hunger strike alongside climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. Wangchuk is currently lodged in a Rajasthan jail under detention invoked through the National Security Act (NSA), 1980.

Police officials said Stanba was “closely associated” with Wangchuk and had been part of the group that participated in the hunger strike in Leh. On September 24, clashes broke out between security forces and protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh, resulting in four civilian deaths and leaving more than 100 people injured.

Confirming the arrest, Mohd Shafi Lassu, President of the Bar Association, Leh, said Stanba was taken into custody last week. “He was at the hunger strike site that day. Previously, he has never been involved in any kind of violence,” Lassu said, adding that a bail application has been filed seeking his release.

Stanba’s family said he received a call from police last week and was subsequently arrested. His wife, Kalzang Angmo, maintained that he had no role in any violence and described him as a “true patriot.”

“How can he be involved in any wrongdoing? He was a true soldier and always stood for the country,” she said, adding that he had only taken part in a peaceful protest.

Angmo said the family does not understand why he was arrested after such a long gap. Stanba, who retired from the Army in 2024, had previously served in Lebanon as part of the UN Peacekeeping Force and had been posted along the India-China border and other sensitive locations during his service.

Ladakh Police had launched a massive crackdown following the violence, arresting dozens of people. Most of them were later granted bail by local courts.

A senior police officer, when asked about Stanba’s role, said he had been closely associated with Wangchuk and had participated in all hunger strikes and programmes announced as part of the movement seeking statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule.

The officer said Stanba was hospitalised after the violence. “His role came up during the investigation as he is a main person associated with Wangchuk,” the officer claimed.

Reacting to the arrest, Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, co-chairman of the Leh Apex Body (LAB)—one of the two organisations leading the ongoing agitation—described the delayed arrest as harassment. “It looks like deliberate harassment. Maybe the police want to make him speak against Wangchuk, as he has been associated with him in several events related to the movement,” he said.

Earlier this month, the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)—the two major groups from Ladakh engaged in negotiations with the Union Government—wrote to the Union Home Secretary seeking urgent intervention over what they called “harassment and intimidation” of civil society members by Ladakh Police. The police have denied the allegations.