Within days of the appointment of the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, the Leh Apex Body (LAB), one of the constituents of the agitating Ladakhi groups, announced that it would resume its agitation and hold protest demonstrations across Leh on March 12 to press for its long-pending demands.
The announcement was made by LAB co-convenor and former minister Chering Dorjay Lakrook while interacting with media persons. Lakrook, who is also the president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), said that peaceful protests would be organised in different parts of Leh district to highlight the concerns of the people of Ladakh and demand the fulfilment of their constitutional and political aspirations.
Lakrook said the demonstrations would also seek the release of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose arrest last year had triggered widespread protests in Ladakh and drawn national attention to the region's demands.
He reiterated that the agitating groups of Ladakh are seeking full statehood for the Union Territory, inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil to ensure adequate political representation for the region.
"The people of Ladakh have been raising these issues for a long time, and our peaceful protest on March 12 will once again highlight the need for constitutional safeguards to protect the region's land, culture, and employment opportunities," Lakrook said.
The planned protest comes at a significant time as Vinai Kumar Saxena, who was recently appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, is scheduled to assume office shortly.
According to official sources, Saxena will take oath as the Lieutenant Governor on March 13 at a swearing-in ceremony to be held at Raj Bhavan in Ladakh, which is expected to be attended by senior officials and other dignitaries.
Saxena, who earlier served as the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, was appointed to the post following the resignation of his predecessor, Kavinder Gupta, on March 5.
Political observers believe that the resumption of protests by Ladakhi groups ahead of the new LG's swearing-in reflects the continued pressure on the administration and the Centre to address the region's key political and constitutional demands.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which jointly spearhead the agitation in Ladakh, have been demanding constitutional safeguards and greater political representation since the region was carved out as a Union Territory from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
The protest planned for March 12 is expected to draw participation from various civil society groups, activists, and residents of the region who have been supporting the ongoing movement for Ladakh's rights.
Saxena will become the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, which was carved out as a separate Union Territory from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
As reported earlier, after the unprecedented violence on September 24, 2025, some Ladakhi leaders, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, were arrested. While the majority of those arrested have since been released, Wangchuk was shifted to Jodhpur Jail and booked under the National Security Act (India).
