The Himachal Pradesh high court on Tuesday granted interim bail to BJP state president Dr Rajiv Bindal and former minister and sitting Paonta Sahib MLA Chaudhary Sukhram in a case registered under serious charges including attempt to murder.
Granting relief justice Virender Singh on Tuesday directed the police “not to take any coercive action” against Bindal, Sukhram and one Alka Rani. The police have filed a status report before the high court. The case will now be listed on June 24.
“The government to suppress the political opponents have got this case registered as part of political conspiracy,” said Bindal while talking to HT.
A day after booking 100 protesters, including BJP state president Rajiv Bindal and Paonta Sahib MLA Sukhram Chaudhary, for defying prohibitory orders and assembling in front of Majra police station in Himachal’s Sirmaur, the police have added Section 109 of the BNS (attempt to murder) against the protesters.
The section was added after about 10 people, including police personnel, were injured in stone pelting and the head constable was injured with a sharp-edged weapon.
The stone-pelting followed protests after a 19-year-old man from Kiratpur village eloped with an 18-year-old woman from different faith in a nearby village under Majra police station limits on June 4.
{{/usCountry}}The stone-pelting followed protests after a 19-year-old man from Kiratpur village eloped with an 18-year-old woman from different faith in a nearby village under Majra police station limits on June 4.
{{/usCountry}}The girl’s family had lodged a complaint, but even after 10 days, no action was taken. Some rganisations and local people have been protesting for the last few days, demanding strict action against the “abductor”. On Friday, they blocked the Nahan-Paonta highway at Majra, about 25 km from Nahan, for about an hour.
On Friday evening, as an angry crowd of protesters began moving towards the eloped man’s house, locals from the other side resorted to stone-pelting, which the protesters retaliated against. Subsequently, police resorted to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
A 36-hour dharna, led by Bindal in the Majra area, ended on Saturday after the man and woman were traced.