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Himachal: Amid communal tension, BJP activists defy prohibitory orders in Chamba
Former CM Jai Ram Thakur leads supporters in Dalhousie, where Himachal BJP chief Rajeev Bindal called for a statewide protest on Saturday
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers defied prohibitory orders and protested in Dalhousie on Friday after police stopped former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur and Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal from heading to Salooni in Chamba district amid communal tension following the brutal murder of a 21-year-old man.
Jai Ram Thakur and Bindal, accompanied by Churah MLA Hans Raj, Dalhousie legislator DS Thakur, former minister Rakesh Pathania and former MLAs Bikram Jaryal and Rajesh Thakur, were accompanied by nearly 500 supporters as they were going to Salooni to meet victim Manohar Lal’s family. They were stopped at Chamera Dam barrier, the gateway to Salooni, as the district administration had imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Chamba after Thursday’s violence in which a mob set ablaze the house of the murder accused, who belongs to a minority community.
Also read: Chamba murder case: Section 144 imposed as mob sets accused’s house on fire
Manohar Lal had gone missing on June 6 and his chopped body parts were recovered three days later from a stream at Bhandal village in Salooni sub division.
Initially, three members of the accused’s family were arrested, but when the incident assumed communal overtones, police detained 10 members, including four minors, and shifted them to an undisclosed location.
A district official requesting anonymity said that the BJP activists were not allowed to go to Salooni in view of the prohibitory orders but no coercive action was taken against the protesters to avoid confrontation.
Later, the BJP leaders and their supporters gathered at Dalhousie where Bindal called for a state-wide wide protest on Saturday against the incident.
“We stand firm with Manohar Lal’s (victim) family and won’t stop till justice is delivered. The government stopped us from meeting the aggrieved family and we will hold a protest at all district headquarters on Saturday,” another protester said, calling for a deeper probe.
The situation in Salooni remained under control with tight police patrolling. Deputy inspector general (north) Abhishek Dullar along with Nurpur SP Ashok Rattan and Chamba SP Abhishek Yadav is monitoring the situation.
On Thursday, provoked by local leaders, a crowed had entered the Kihar police station premises, damaged government property and vehicles and later set the accused’s house on fire. Violence prompted the district administration to issue prohibitory orders. All schools in Salooni sub division will be closed for a week.
