The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered a suspension of all mobile internet and public Wi-Fi services in Leh district, citing public safety and security concerns. Lige is gradually returning to normal across Leh city with curfew relaxed on Wednesday for a longer duration and markets opened for local people.
According to the official notification, mobile data services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, as well as public Wi-Fi networks, which was stopped from 6:00 pm on September 29 will be unavailable until 6:00 pm on October 3, 2025.The move has been implemented under the Telecommunication Act, 2023, and the Telecommunications (Temporary Suspension of Services) Rules, 2024. Authorities said that the suspension was necessary due to “unavoidable circumstances” to prevent potential public unrest and curb possible incitement of offences.
The order, approved by the competent authority, will remain in effect across the entire Leh district until further notice.The suspension of mobile internet and public Wi-Fi services in Leh district began on Friday, September 26, 2025, following violent protests that resulted in four deaths and numerous injuries. Meanwhile, life life in Leh city is gradually returning to normal with relaxation of curfew duration for a longer time amid open markets locals seen busy in making purchases. Authorities in Leh on Tuesday announced a four-hour relaxation in curfew restrictions, permitting essential services to function from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. It was extended by more time today to ease out things for the people.
According to the official order, grocery shops, vegetable vendors, hardware outlets, and other essential service providers have been allowed to open during this period.After the curfew was relaxed till 5 p.m. , locals were seen busy buying essentials. “Initially, curfew was relaxed from 10 a.m. up to 2 p.m. Later, shopkeepers were told they can keep shops open till 5 p.m.,” a shopkeeper in Leh market said. In the aftermath of the violence, curfew was imposed across Leh to restore order. The Union Home Ministry later alleged that activist Sonam Wangchuk incited the crowd through provocative speeches referencing the Arab Spring and Nepal’s Gen-Z protests.
Amid the efforts to restore normality in the town, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), a Kargil-based umbrella organisation of social, political and religious groups, on Tuesday announced its decision to withdraw from talks with the Centre scheduled for October 6. The KDA’s decision came a day after the Leh Apex Body (LAB), a Leh-based conglomerate of social, political and religious groups, decided to boycott the talks.Top leaders of the KDA, who addressed a press conference in Kargil, demanded an impartial judicial investigation into the civilian killings on September 24 as one of the conditions to restart the dialogue with the high-powered committee appointed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The KDA took exception to the branding of Ladakh residents as “anti-nationals”. “People who stand up for the rights of Ladakh cannot be dismissed with such baseless accusations. Sonam Wangchuk is a respected figure not just in Ladakh but across the nation,” Mr. Karbalai said.
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