In June 2026 posts on X claimed violent demonstrations had erupted in Ladakh after a new arrest of activist Sonam Wangchuk. The claim is misleading: the video was from the September 2025 Leh protests, and Wangchuk had not been arrested again.
Claim: "Violent demonstrations have erupted after reports of the arrest of Ladakh's revolutionary leader Sonam Wangchuk", with Ladakhis seeking justice from an army attacking civilians.
Said by: X handles that CyberPeace described as Pakistani propaganda accounts, including @ZardSi.
What the record shows: The footage appeared in a news report on 24 September 2025, and Wangchuk was active on social media and not in custody when the posts appeared. CyberPeace
Where the claim came from
Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act on 26 September 2025 after violence in Leh, and released on 14 March 2026 when the Centre revoked the order. Newslaundry Three months later, a video of street clashes was posted on X by the user @ZardSi with the caption that violence had broken out after "reports of the arrest" of Wangchuk. The post also said Ladakhis were seeking justice from the Indian Army, which it described as attacking civilians. CyberPeace
Claim · CyberPeace CyberPeace described the accounts sharing the clip as "Pakistani propaganda handles", but named only @ZardSi and did not set out how it identified their origin. It did not report how widely the clip spread. CyberPeace
What the evidence shows
Documented CyberPeace's research wing split the video into keyframes and ran them through Google Lens. This led to several reports on the same incident, the earliest a 24 September 2025 Asianet News English report on YouTube. "The viral footage was found in a news report uploaded on September 24, 2025," it wrote. CyberPeace
That was the day protesters demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protection set fire to the BJP office in Leh and police fired on the crowd. Four people were killed. HRW
On the arrest, CyberPeace checked Wangchuk's own accounts. He had posted an update on 10 June 2026, "indicating that he had not been detained". It stated: "The claim regarding Sonam Wangchuk's arrest is false." CyberPeace published on 11 June 2026 and rated the post misleading. CyberPeace
Context
Wangchuk did face police action again a month later, in Delhi rather than Ladakh. During a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar backing the CJP's exam protests, police removed him in the early hours of 18 July 2026 and took him to Safdarjung Hospital. Police said they acted on medical grounds; Wangchuk and his wife called it "illegal detention". Brut Khaleej Times No fresh violence in Ladakh was reported in June 2026. Ladakh's statehood talks are covered on our Ladakh protests page.
Questions people ask
Was Sonam Wangchuk arrested again in June 2026?
No. CyberPeace found he was posting on social media on 10 June 2026 and had not been detained.
Where is the viral Ladakh violence video from?
From the Leh protests of 24 September 2025, when four people were killed in police firing.
When was Wangchuk released from NSA detention?
On 14 March 2026, after about 170 days, when the Centre revoked the detention order.
Sources
- CyberPeace: Old Ladakh protest video falsely shared after Wangchuk "arrest", 11 Jun 2026
- HRW: India, 4 dead in protests over Ladakh statehood, 25 Sept 2025
- Newslaundry: Centre revokes Wangchuk's NSA detention, 14 Mar 2026
- Brut: How Delhi Police removed Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar, Jul 2026
- Khaleej Times: NEET protest updates, 24 Jul 2026
