College students booked for sloganeering during CM's rally
Shimla, Oct. 8 -- College students, including some girl students, who raised anti-chief minister slogans have been booked for allegedly sloganeering and spreading false information during a rally in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, officials said.
The FIR was registered after a video of the incident went viral on social media in which a section of the crowd, reportedly disgruntled over lunch arrangements, was heard shouting "Sukhu ne bulaya hai, bhukhe hi tarpaya hai".
Solan superintendent of police Gaurav Singh confirmed that an FIR was registered following the incident. "The students identified in the video were part of the degree college and were not invited to the event. There was an attempt of political sabotage so the case has been registered," said Singh.
"The students in the video are affiliated to Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) from Government College Darlaghat and created a disturbance at the venue. They neither invited nor official participants of the event, and their presence was part of a deliberate attempt to disrupt proceedings," he added. The incident happened during an October 4 rally in Darlagha. The FIR was registered under Sections 353(2) and 3(5) of the BNS.
Former chief minister and leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, addressing a press conference in Mandi on Tuesday, said that Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's government is obsessed with filing FIRs.
"Wherever a voice is raised against their (Congress government) failures, the people are immediately sued, sent to jail, destroyed if there is a family business, and family members are harassed. This is the government's policy," Thakur said.
"The government even filed an FIR against girls. The only reason was that they complained about not getting food. Children were invited to the programme, food was arranged through some mechanism, and the girls were made to sit in the sun for hours in the name of food. When they protested, a case was filed against them," he said.
BJP MLA and senior spokesperson Trilok Jamwal criticised the Congress government and said that Himachal is being run by a highly authoritarian Congress government that is quick to file cases and FIRs against the innocent people of on every small issue.
"The registration of FIR against girls who raised voice after they did not get food is highly condemnable; this kind of vengeful politics has never been seen in Himachal Pradesh before," said Jamwal while demanding "immediately cancel and withdraw the FIR".
Retorting back to BJP's statement, Arki MLA Sanjay Awasthy, said, "Sloganeering incident during CM Sukhu's visit to Darlaghat was a premeditated conspiracy by the BJP. The police has registered an FIR as a routine procedure. Similar FIRs were also registered duringthe tenure of the previous BJP government," the Congress MLA further said.
"The people who created nuisance were not invited to the event and had trespassed into the area where food was being prepared and started sloganeering. So as per the set protocols, the police are investigating and whosoever is found guilty action will be taken," said Awasthy, while categorically denying the allegations of food not being served.
He added that the unprecedented achievements of the state government have left the BJP flustered. "BJP keeps trying various tactics to attract people's attention. However, the BJP should not forget that abiding by the law is everyone's duty, and no one is above the law"....
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