Ladakh leaders to meet Home Ministry officials on May 22, Sonam Wangchuk part of delegation

A civil society delegation from Ladakh, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was released from custody under the National Security Act (NSA) on March 14, is set to meet officials of the Union Home Ministry on Friday, May 22, 2026.

This is the first such meeting of members of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), representing Leh and Kargil districts respectively, since February 4, when a high-powered committee (HPC) meeting led by Home Minister Nityanand Rai was held in New Delhi. The meeting was inconclusive.

A subcommittee consisting of Ministry officials will meet with the delegation on Friday, May 22. This will be the first time Mr. Wangchuk will attend a meeting with Ministry officials.

new member

Since he was recently included in the LAB, his name was not included in the delegations that met previously.

KDA and LAB are demanding constitutional guarantees such as Statehood and inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, thereby granting it tribal status.

Ladakh, which was earlier a part of Jammu and Kashmir, became a Union Territory in 2019 following the reading of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Cherring Dorjay Lakruk, one of the founders of LAB, said that they will remain loyal to the demands they have put forward since 2020, including the State of Ladakh.

The talks came to an impasse following the violence that took place in the city of Leh on September 24, 2025, which resulted in the death of four people, including a Kargil war veteran, as a result of police firing. Ministry officials have so far only offered guarantees under Article 371 of the Constitution and insisted on strengthening the apex councils. Article 371 deals with “Temporary, Provisional and Special Provisions” and is available in 12 States.

On April 26, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved the notification for five new districts – Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass – announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August 2024.