Gen Z in India: BJP Office Torched as Ladakh Statehood Demands Meet Resistance

RMN News Report Highlights:

🔥 The BJP office and multiple vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire in Leh as protests led by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) over statehood and Sixth Schedule demands turned violent.

🚫 Authorities imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS/BNSS), prohibiting the assembly of more than five people. Activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 15-day fast following the violence, appealing for peace.

🗳️ The Modi regime’s dominance is questioned by a “Smokescreen” report alleging electoral fraud, including EVM manipulation, vote-buying, fake voters, and misuse of government resources. The Election Commission of India (ECI) is mostly alleged to be complicit in these crimes.

🌍 The violence aligns with a “regional model” (Bangladeshi/Sri Lankan) where violent public protests aim to restore democratic systems. Nepal’s Gen Z Protests also reflect this trend, involving arson and vandalism targeting leaders’ homes.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | September 24, 2025

Violent protests demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh erupted in Leh on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, leading to clashes, arson, and stone pelting.

The protests described as Gen Z unrest, spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), escalated as demonstrators set fire to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in the city, with thick smoke rising from the premises. Protesters also burned furniture and papers inside the BJP office complex. Multiple vehicles, including police vans, were also set ablaze amid the unrest and a complete shutdown in the Ladakh capital.

The unrest came after the LAB youth wing called for a protest following the hospitalization of two of the 15 participants in a 35-day hunger strike, whose condition deteriorated on Tuesday evening. Protesters alleged that the violence was a reaction to the failure of the Union government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the administration to acknowledge their demands.

A heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces responded to the stone pelting with baton charges and the firing of teargas shells to control the crowd. Following the violence, the District Magistrate of Ladakh imposed Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS/BNSS), which prohibits the assembly of more than five people, unauthorized rallies or marches, and any statements that could disturb public tranquility.

Activist Appeals for Peace Amid Heightened Tensions

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been involved in the agitation, ended his 15-day fast after the protests turned violent. Wangchuk issued a video message on X, appealing to the youth to stop the violence, calling the acts “nonsense” that damage the cause.

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Wangchuk had previously stressed that the BJP had promised to include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and urged that this promise be fulfilled before the upcoming Hill Council polls. The LAB had warned that public patience was “wearing thin” due to delays in talks. Wangchuk noted that some people were growing impatient, feeling they were “getting nothing through peaceful protest“.

An analysis from RMN News suggests that in many autocratic nations, peaceful protests fail while violent public demonstrations can succeed in restoring democratic systems where dictators are “hell-bent to destroy the democratic structures.

Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union Territory in 2019 but was left without a legislature, placing the region under direct central rule led by Modi. The demand for the Sixth Schedule is rooted in protecting the region’s tribal identity and ecosystem, as the provision grants autonomy to tribal areas to make laws on land, forests, and local governance. The Scheduled Tribe population in Ladakh is reported to be around 97%.

The Home Ministry under the Modi regime has scheduled the next round of discussions with the Ladakh delegation for October 6.

Violent Protests Emerge as a Regional Model, Including Gen Z Actions

The violent turn of the Ladakh protests mirrors a trend across Asia, where intense public dissent is becoming a model for political change. The “Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan models” suggest that violent public protests can succeed in overthrowing corrupt rulers and restoring democratic systems in authoritarian nations where peaceful dissent has failed.

This trend is evident in neighboring countries:

• Nepal’s Gen Z Protests: Demonstrators escalated actions, resorting to arson and vandalism, specifically targeting the homes of presidential figures and former prime ministers. These actions put immense pressure on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government which was dethroned.
• Indonesia’s Deadly Protests: Mass protests, fueled by public dissatisfaction over economic hardships and a controversial housing allowance for parliament members, led to 10 deaths. In response, President Prabowo Subianto replaced five ministers.

‘Smokescreen’ Report Alleges Widespread Electoral Manipulation in India

The timing of the unrest is significant as the Modi regime faces allegations that its political dominance is secured through election frauds, including electronic voting machine (EVM) manipulation, in various State and Lok Sabha elections. India is reportedly now among the most notorious countries where rampant election frauds are happening.

A new political research report, titled “Unveiling the Smokescreen of Indian Democracy: Fabricated Factors Masking Electoral Manipulation,” alleges that the Modi-led BJP’s electoral dominance is based on fabricated factors masking manipulation.

Beyond alleged manipulation of EVMs, the report suggests that the BJP commits various other crimes to win elections fraudulently, including vote-buying, intimidation of voters, misuse of government resources, fake voters, and misinformation campaigns. The Election Commission of India (ECI), which operates under the Modi government, is mostly alleged to be complicit in these crimes. A dedicated microsite currently explains the legal, political, and technological risks associated with holding elections using EVMs in India.

It is claimed that because elections are allegedly not fair and transparent, honest and educated candidates are often not elected. Consequently, nearly 1.4 billion Indians are reported to be suffering under the Modi regime with unprecedented poverty, corruption, inflation, unemployment, lawlessness, and religious animosity.

The political research detailing these allegations has served as the basis for a worldwide Call to Filmmakers to create a global political thriller titled “The Smokescreen”.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.

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