Skip to content
LOUD
Heating uplocal civicgovernance

Women in Ladakh protest against new liquor policy and demand complete ban

Leh, Ladakh, India · since Oct 22, 2026

Is it still on?

YESDay 6 and counting, since Oct 22.

Last report · checked

The Tea in three lines

Why they are protesting
Protesters oppose the administration's new excise policy and the opening of new alcohol shops and bars in Ladakh.
What they want
A complete ban on liquor and for Ladakh to be declared a dry Union Territory.
What changed
Oct 27: Ladakh Chief Secretary held a meeting with women representatives and called for wider stakeholder consultations.
WhatsAppPost on X

Both sides

What protesters want

  • Declare Ladakh a completely dry Union Territory
  • Roll back the liberal liquor policy
  • Halt the opening of new liquor shops and bars

Organised by: Ladakh Buddhist Association, Anjuman Imamia, Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam, All Ladakh Gompa Association

What authorities say

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra held a meeting with women representatives and religious bodies, stating that declaring Ladakh a dry UT requires careful deliberation and consultation with all stakeholders, citing potential consequences such as spurious liquor proliferation.123

The full story

Women in Ladakh have been holding a sit-in dharna in Leh, opposing the administration's new excise policy and the increase in liquor licenses. Organised with backing from various religious and social groups, the demonstrators have carried placards bearing slogans such as 'Don't trade public health for government revenue' and temporarily stopped traffic on NH1. Protesters are demanding that the administration roll back its liberal liquor policy and declare Ladakh a completely dry Union Territory. In response, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra held a meeting with women representatives and tourism bodies, stating that the demand requires wider deliberations and consultations with all stakeholders to balance cultural concerns with the region's tourism economy.

Timeline

  1. Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra met with women representatives and religious organisations to discuss the excise policy and demands.123

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

More like this