In the high-altitude desert of Ladakh, Gen Z creators once known for serene travel vlogs now find themselves thrust into a political storm.
An asymmetric digital war is unfolding: young Ladakhis uploading shaky, heartfelt testimonies from blacked-out internet zones, facing off against slick, well-funded influencers linked to India's ruling party.
The flashpoint came on September 24, 2025, when four protesters, three in their twenties, were killed during a peaceful demonstration in Leh. The internet was swiftly cut off.
Two days later, climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk was detained under the National Security Act.
As hashtags like #ISupportSonamWangchuk, #SaveLadakh, and #IStandWithSonamWangchuk became rallying cries, a parallel narrative was quietly going viral—one that painted Wangchuk not as an activist, but as an enemy of the state.
The BJP’s Digital Arsenal
An investigation by Decode uncovered a network of Gen Z influencers with ties to BJP-linked organisations, producing reels and memes that branded Wangchuk an "anti-national" and a "terrorist."
Consider Ojas Bhandari, known by her Instagram handle @Talkistan. She presents herself as a politically outspoken young woman, with no trace of her professional credentials visible on her feed. But Decode found that Bhandari works as a social media executive at BlueKraft Digital Foundation—a communications firm that runs digital campaigns for government initiatives. She has previously worked with Shehzad Poonawalla, a national spokesperson for the BJP.
Her video attacking Wangchuk traveled to platforms like Reddit, shared with the misleading title: "A Gen Z Ladakhi exposes Sonam Wangchuk."
Then there's Utsav Aggarwal, a law student till recently interning with BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who posted a reel calling Wangchuk a "Pakistan-backed terrorist."
In another reel, Utsav opined “Operation Sindoor” had been launched against Wangchuk, claiming he incited youngsters to protest, leading to injuries and deaths.
Utsav has close to 7000 followers but his videos garner more than double the views. He also appears on Hindi news debates, recently on Anjana Om Kashyap’ debate show on Aaj Tak, as a student voice criticising Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Until recently, Aggarwal co-managed the Instagram page Delhi Ka Darshan alongside Bhandari, producing reels critical of opposition leaders. Poonawalla appears as a guest in multiple videos on the account.
Richa Dwivedi, another BlueKraft Digital Foundation employee, fronts a YouTube channel called New India Junction. In one video, Dwivedi falsely claimed that a Congress councillor instigated the protesters in Leh.
Another video, shared by Amit Malviya, head of the BJP's IT cell, and the party's official Instagram account, features Gaurav Lal, a manager at Varahe Analytics, a political consultancy that manages the BJP's urban, state, and national campaigns.
Posing as both interviewer and skeptic, Lal scrutinises Wangchuk's visit to Pakistan while dwelling on cases registered against him. The video got over 43,000 likes on Instagram
Both BlueKraft and Varahe have long served as key digital arms in the BJP's ecosystem, shaping narratives online to influence urban youth.
Decode had previously reported on Varahe Analytics running a shadow network of 20 proxy social media pages, deploying influencers from the Hindi heartland to create pro-BJP, pro-Hindutva narrative videos while targeting opposition leaders.
The online offensive escalated sharply after Wangchuk's detention.
From National Icon To ‘Anti-National’
The educator and inventor became a household name in India after the success of the Bollywood film Three Idiots - an adaptation of a Chetan Bhagat novel. Wangchuk was said to be the inspiration behind the film’s main character played by Aamir Khan.
More recently, Wangchuk’s work intersected with climate activism.
Following the recent violence, the government cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of Wangchuk’s NGO Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), while his institute Himalayan Institute of Alternatives, Ladakh (HIAL) faces a CBI enquiry over alleged violations.
Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo, who has moved the Supreme Court seeking bail for her husband, has strongly denied allegations of wrongdoing. Angmo, who is active on X, pointed to occasions in the past where government functionaries felicitated Wangchuk and invited him to be a part of various educational or environment initiatives.
Since violence broke out in Leh, Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s IT cell, has accused Wangchuk of advancing Pakistani and Chinese interests, citing his UN-sponsored visit to Pakistan in February this year.
Social media users also falsely linked his father to the CIA.
Meanwhile, mainstream Hindi TV channels aired graphics like “Bewafa Sonam” , a play on his name and the Hindi word for unfaithful, echoing the IT cell’s talking points.
Fact-checkers at BOOM found Malviya’s claim to be false. Wangchuk had attended a climate conference organised by the United Nations and Pakistani daily Dawn. At the event, Wangchuk spoke about the shared Himalayan water systems between India, Pakistan, Nepal urging the need for regional cooperation. He also gave a nod to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s renewable energy initiatives, in his remarks.
Malviya posted another video of Wangchuk’s speech in Ladakhi and claimed the latter threatened to turn Ladakh into Nepal and Bangladesh. BOOM verified that the claim is wrong: In the video, Wagchuk cited Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka as examples of popular movements that had brought about change, while insisting that Ladakh’s struggle must remain peaceful.
For the first time, the innovator who inspired Three Idiots was being cast as a provocateur.
Ladakh’s GenZ Pushes Back - From The Shadows
Cut off from Instagram by connectivity restrictions, Ladakhi youth turned to YouTube, the only major platform that worked intermittently.
In their videos, often recorded in dark rooms with spotty signals, they begin with the greeting julley (hello) and end with pleas to “save Ladakh.”
Their tone is emotional but composed. They describe years of peaceful activism for statehood and Sixth Schedule safeguards, provisions that would protect Ladakh’s fragile ecology and indigenous rights.
Decode reached out to many of these content creators from Ladakh. Most declined to speak, fearing retribution.
"The social media machinery is poking holes in Wangchuk's reputation and work," Ali Shah, a law student in Delhi and member of the Ladakh Students' Welfare Society, told Decode. "When news channels don't talk about our issues, people will never know our plight. If those in power spread misinformation, people will believe it."
Despite modest reach, their sincerity stands in stark contrast to the slick, meme-driven propaganda pushed by BJP-linked influencers.
A Region On Edge
New Delhi’s heightened sensitivity reflects regional anxieties.
Across Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, youth-led protests—organised largely online—have challenged governments and toppled regimes. In June, a social media ban in Nepal ignited wide-scale protests, which turned violent. Platforms such as Discord and TikTok, transformed into spaces for digital dissent and mobilisation. The country’s interim leader was picked through an online poll on Discord.
Days after the Nepal protests, Indian authorities have reportedly asked Delhi Police to prepare “digital containment plans” to counter “fake narratives” before they spread.
The Weight Of Speaking Out
Stanzin Shayan, a singer from the Zanskar region of Ladakh, is using his existing social media reach to amplify the message. In a video shot from his room, curtains drawn shut against the bright sun, Stanzin's message is blunt: "Ladakh is burning."
"A few years ago my village did not have a simple good road or mobile network. Today, I am on a call with you while driving around my village. That is development brought in by the BJP," he says. "But now, I ask, at what cost am I enjoying this comfort?"
Stanzin says Ladakh will never forget how the government is treating them. "I have always made music and used that to inspire, but after the protests I decided to speak. Nobody is even asking locals what their demands are, why they are on the streets, how the situation was before they decided to protest. The mainstream media continues to label us as accused or the casualties."
The decision to speak out came at a cost. Stanzin alleges he was summoned by the Ladakh police after he started putting out his vlogs. "My videos do not contain any inciting slogans or words. Even then the police told me to be careful in what I say against the local government or the Centre. They said their hands were tied," Stanzin explains. "What kind of democracy are we living in?"
The fear of retributive action is presumably being felt by other content creators from the region. Decode reached out to over 10 creators but received no responses.
Ladakh's strategic importance cannot be overstated. An erstwhile part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it is flanked by Pakistan and China, making it vital to India's national security. Its stunning yet fraught terrain is no stranger to wars.
In 2019, when the Modi government carved the state of Kashmir into three Union Territories—Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh—Sonam Wangchuk lauded the prime minister. The region's predominantly Buddhist population, who don't identify as Kashmiris, largely welcomed the move.
Six years later, that goodwill has curdled into grief and anger.
Ex Indian Army personnel, many of whom are usually in lockstep with the government on other issues, have warned against alienating Ladakhis and urged sensitivity in handling protests.
They’ve reminded social media users of the region's young men who enlist in the Indian Army’s Ladakh Scouts regiment.
Law student Ali Shah says it will take a long time for Ladakh to heal from what has transpired. “Our people died less than a month ago only for demanding a better life, many others remain behind bars – this is going to haunt Ladakh for a long time,”.
