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Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Here are the latest developments from India on Friday, November 13:
- Indian climate and social activist Sonam Wangchuk says he was put under house arrest as he planned a protest about local hill council elections
- Delhi air quality enters ‘severe’ category
Skip next section India. Indonesia push for global efforts in counterterrorism11/13/2026November 13, 2026
India. Indonesia push for global efforts in counterterrorism
India and Indonesia have called for a “decisive” global action to combat terrorism, following a seventh meeting of the joint working group on counterterrorism between the two Asian nations.
The forum met in New Delhi on Thursday, with Suhel Ajaz Khan, Additional Secretary (Counter Terrorism) at India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and Dionnisius Elvan Swasono, Deputy for International Cooperation at Indonesia’s National Counter Terrorism Agency, as the co-chairs.
The nations urged “decisive and concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The two sides reasserted a principle of zero tolerance towards terrorism while “unequivocally and strongly” condemning terrorism in “all its forms and manifestations,” it added.
The ministry said that the existing coperation in counterterrorism between New Delhi and Jakarta continues to be an “important element” in the India-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership.
Edited by:Dmytro Hubenkohttps://p.dw.com/p/5PPEBSkip next section Activist Sonam Wangchuk decries ‘house arrest’ ahead of controversial regional elections11/13/2026November 13, 2026
Activist Sonam Wangchuk decries ‘house arrest’ ahead of controversial regional elections
Indian activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk has claimed that he has been put under a house arrest with “dozens of armed guards” stationed outside his home in Ladakh, the country’s remote Himalayan territory.
“I am under house arrest,” the 60-year-old wrote on X late Thursday night, alongside a video message.
“There are 20 to 25 police and paramilitary personnel outside the house,” Wangchuk said, adding that armed personnel were standing guard outside his house, “in all directions.” He shared visuals purporting to show the restrictions.
Wangchuk also said his X and YouTube reach had been “drastically suppressed” as he called on supporters to share his message.
Ladakh’s hill council election row
Wangchuk’s allegation followed a day after police removed him from a protest site ahead of a planned sit-in demonstration about the timing of hill council elections, slated for December 4.
The climate crusader, along with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), Ladakh’s main civil society groups, have raised concerns about holding the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections, covering eight districts, at a time of the year when the high-altitude desert region sees a harsh winter and a large seasonal migration.
Ladakh activists say the sub-zero temperatures and winter migration could result in a low voter turnout.
“December and January are the coldest and snowiest months with temperature dipping below -30 degrees Celsius in many places and close to half the population migrates out of Ladakh for education, vacation, pilgrimage etc,” Wangchuk said on X in a public appeal with LAB and KDA, calling for the elections to be deferred.
Ladakh police have said that Wangchuk was “advised to stay his residence” in accordance with prohibitory orders issued by Ladakh’s Chief Electoral Officer and the Leh District Magistrate ahead of the elections.
Ladakh was split from Indian-administered Kashmir after New Delhi stripped the disputed region’s statehood and semi-autonomy in 2019.
Ladakh was categorized as a “Union Territory” with Leh and Kargil being its two main districts.
The LAB and KDA have been demanding statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution, which allows indigenous tribal people to make their own laws and policies on land.
Wangchuk said people of Ladakh were protesting the manner in which the hill council elections were being conducted and also the type of councils.
In his Thursday night message, Wangchuk described the council elections as “phoney” and the councils as “disempowered.”
On Wednesday, Wangchuk had also raised questions over the delay in a report of a judicial inquiry commission looking into the deadly 2025 Leh protests over statehood demands.
Wangchuk linked the Thursday restrictions against him to the “uncomfortable questions” he had asked.
Meanwhile, Ladakh authorities have urged people to “participate enthusiastically” in the upcoming elections and have deemed the councils as “an important milestone in strengthening democratic institutions” in the region.
Edited by:Dmytro Hubenkohttps://p.dw.com/p/5PPBmSkip next section Welcome to our coverage11/13/2026November 13, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
This is Dharvi Vaid Dhulia from DW’s studio in New Delhi, bringing you the Friday edition of the India blog, in which we break down all the biggest headlines that are creating a buzz in the country.
India’s capital continues to gasp for air. Air quality in New Delhi has deteriorated, entering into the “severe” category.
In other news, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has alleged house arrest, a day after police removed him from a protest site amid a hill council election row in India’s northernmost union territory of Ladakh.
In other news, India and Indonesia have called for decisive global efforts to combat terrorism.
Stay tuned as we bring you more.
Edited by:Dmytro Hubenkohttps://p.dw.com/p/5PP80Show more posts
