Indian security forces have imposed a curfew in Leh, the capital of the Himalayan region of Ladakh, after at least four people were killed in violent clashes between police and protesters demanding statehood for the federal territory.
Dozens were also injured and an office of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was set on fire in the unrest on Wednesday.
The government blamed activist Sonam Wangchuk, who's been leading protests, of fomenting violence, a claim he denies.
A mountainous desert with a Muslim-Buddhist population, Ladkah lost its semi-autonomy in 2019 when the BJP government split it from the former Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, imposing direct rule on both.
The Leh region - where the violence broke out - is sandwiched between India, China and Pakistan. It is dominated by the Buddhist community, who for decades have demanded a separate region for its people. Meanwhile, the Muslim-majority Kargil district wants to be integrated with Indian-administered Kashmir.
Since 2019, both communities have joined together in demanding the restoration of statehood, along with greater autonomy which would give them job quotas.
It's not clear what sparked Wednesday's violence - protests have been taking place intermittently in the region for months.
In a late night statement, India's federal home ministry blamed Mr Wangchuk for the unrest, alleging he had incited the mob by making provocative statements.
"He [Mr Wangchuk] continued with the hunger strike and misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen-Z protests in Nepal."
It said that protesters had attacked the BJP's local office, set fire to the building and torched a police vehicle, injuring at least 30 police personnel.