Leh: When 72-year-old Tsering Angchuk and 60-year-old Tashi Dolma collapsed during their hunger strike and had to be rushed to a hospital Tuesday night, it jolted Ladakh out of its slumber. Until then, many young Ladakhis had stayed on the sidelines of the protest to demand statehood and Sixth Schedule protections for the Union Territory. Anger over Angchuk and Dolma’s condition, amplified by searing speeches and emotional appeals, drew nearly 5,000 to Wednesday’s procession at Nawang Dorjay Stobdan (NDS) ground.

But the show of solidarity soon spiralled into fury. Armed with kerosene bottles, rods and sticks, a group tore through the otherwise silent streets of Leh, associating the peaceful protest with a violent rupture, one which even security forces hadn’t anticipated.

What tri

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