NEW DELHI: Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Wednesday called off his 15-day hunger strike demanding statehood for the Union Territory of Ladakh, following violent protests that broke out in the region’s capital, Leh, news agency PTI reported.“VERY SAD EVENTS IN LEH: My message of peaceful path failed today. I appeal to youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause,” Wangchuk posted on X along with a video message.“Friends, it is extremely sad that today, on day 15 of our protest, Leh witnessed violence on a massive scale. Yesterday, out of those who had been fasting for 35 days, two had to be hospitalised. This made people angry and a shutdown was called in Leh. Thousand of youngsters came on the streets,” he said.He further called the protest a “Gen Z revolution” – using a term popularised by the recent youth-led demonstrations that toppled the government in Nepal.Wangchuk added, “They have been unemployed for five years…I’ve been saying for years that keeping the youth unemployed and snatching their democratic rights leads to unrest. There are several issues but I will talk about them later. I urge the youngsters not to take the path of violence. This would render my efforts of five years useless.”.Stressing on the need to remain peaceful, he urged both sides to engage in dialogue.