Thousands rallied in Ladakh on Wednesday to demand special status as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk announced a “fast unto death”, the development unfolding a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kashmir where the stage was being set for one of the biggest shows of normality in years.

Ladakh and Kashmir, the two regions of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, offered a startling contrast in how the “peaceful” cold desert has emerged as a major headache for the Centre while the “trouble-torn” Valley is reluctantly singing to the tunes of Delhi.

The shutdown in Leh appeared to have been timed to the day of Modi’s visit to Kashmir and came two days after the failure of talks between the Ladakhi leadership and the central government. Sources said the shutdown was initially planned for Thursday but was preponed to avoid being seen as an affront to the Prime Minister.

Wangchuk announced a “fast unto death” before a thousands-strong gathering in Leh. “I am Sonam Wangchuk reaching out to the people of the world from Indian Himalayas, a place called Leh, Ladakh, at 3,500 metres, 11,500 feet,” Wangchuk told the crowd.

“Today on the sixth of March, I will be sitting on a fast unto death, which will happen in stages of 21 days each, extended as necessary. It is 21 days because this happens to be the longest fast that Mahatma Gandhi kept during the Independence movement of India. I want to follow the same peaceful path that Mahatma Gandhi followed, where we inflict pain on ourselves, not on anybody else.”

Congress leader Tsering Namgial said more people were joining the fast and the protests would gain momentum. “During talks on March 4, the central government categorically rejected our demands for implementation of the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule in Ladakh and statehood. There is a lot of anger in Ladakh and people have decided to launch an agitation in favour of their demands,” Namgial told this newspaper.

Wangchuk, a Magsaysay Award winner and key campaigner for special status, recently accused elected representatives (from the BJP) in the Union Territory of joining hands with top industrial lobbies to facilitate the loot of the region’s natural resources. He said the special status would prevent the “loot”.

Ladakhi Buddhists had cheered for the 2019 scrapping of Article 370 and the creation of the Union Territory of Ladakh but have since turned wary that outsiders might snatch their jobs and land. On the contrary, Kashmiris were deeply agitated by the move but the government’s iron-fist policy has ensured a semblance of normality here.

The government’s heavy- handed tactics are again on display in Kashmir ahead of Modi’s rally. The administration has asked 7,000 employees to join the rally at Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium and also rope in thousands more. The employees have been directed to be ready at 5.30am at various pick-up points from where they will be taken to the venue in buses.

The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education has postponed Class X exams scheduled to be held on March 7.