The remarks came at a gathering in Leh on September 24-25, marking the first anniversary of violence in which four civilians were killed during protests demanding statehood for Ladakh and Sixth Schedule constitutional protections. Wangchuk told the crowd that Ladakh had chosen to remain with India because it was a democracy, saying: "Ladakh had China on one side and India on the other... we believed that in India, there is democracy, we would be able to live with our heads held high."