# Ladakh admin tells Wangchuk: only one liquor shop is operational 2026-10-28T07:21:33+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 6 independent outlets (7 source reports) The Ladakh administration has rejected activist Sonam Wangchuk's claims that liquor outlets are being opened across the Union Territory, saying only one liquor shop is operational. In a 28 October press release, the Excise Department called Wangchuk's statements 'false', 'baseless' and 'totally imaginary' and advised him to verify facts through official sources. The administration said the new Excise Policy 2026-27, notified on 1 June, was rolled back on 26 August after feedback from residents and social organisations. The old policy (2025-26) was restored, under which only two shops were permitted in Leh, in wards 4 and 6. An auction on 14 October led to a shop opening only in ward 6, as no bid was received for ward 4. On bars, the administration said 50 retail vends with restaurants are operational: 38 in Leh, seven in Nubra, three in Zanskar and two in Changthang. Two beer bars operate in Leh, and nine hotels in Leh and one in Nubra hold liquor licences, issued under distance criteria from highways, religious and educational institutions. Wangchuk had alleged on 22 October that bars were being 'forcibly opened in every street, even near schools'. Update, 28 October 2026: New Indian Express now also reports the story, adding that Wangchuk posted on X on 27 October that protesting women stopped traffic on NH1 for a short while. The outlet confirms the administration's figures: one liquor shop, 50 bar-restaurant outlets, and nine hotel liquor licences in Leh. Millennium Post misnames the Lieutenant Governor as Kavinder Gupta instead of Vinai Kumar Saxena. ## Indian Opinion Analysis All six outlets carry the Ladakh administration's press release with near-verbatim detail: the new excise policy was rolled back on 26 August, the old policy restored, and only one liquor shop is operational. The uniformity indicates the story is straight official copy, with no outlet adding independent reporting or critical framing. Times Now and The Tribune lead with the administration’s rebuttal and omit Wangchuk’s claim that women are protesting, ANI, Asianet and New Indian Express include both the official denial and Wangchuk’s allegation of 500 to 1,000 women at a sit-in. The Tribune, uniquely, notes that women have been staging a sit-in at Leh’s NDS Park since last week. Millennium Post incorrectly names the Lieutenant Governor as Kavinder Gupta instead of Vinai Kumar Saxena, a factual error that weakens its reliability. ## Coverage Coverage: 5 sources, 2 pro-government, 3 neutral - timesnownews.com (pro government) Leads with official rebuttal, omits Wangchuk's protest claim entirely - ANI - asianetnews.com Includes Wangchuk's specific allegations before admin denial - aninews.in Full press release copy with direct quotes from both sides, wire-style - tribuneindia.com (neutral report) Mentions women sit-in at Leh as ongoing fact alongside admin statement - millenniumpost.in (pro government) Errors Gupta as LG, otherwise reproduces official release without challenge - newindianexpress.com (neutral report) Includes Wangchuk's X post and protest detail before admin rebuttal This brief was synthesised by AI from the 5 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Ladakh administration, Ladakh Excise Policy, Leh, Sonam Wangchuk Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/only-one-liquor-shop-operational-in-ladakh-administration-tells-wangchuk/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/only-one-liquor-shop-operational-in-ladakh-administration-tells-wangchuk/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/