E-Paper
“Jungli Murga”row: Police register defamation case
The case has been registered in Kupvi police station on the complaint of Suman Chauhan, 35, head of Kulag gram panchayat and Neetu Kumar, 26, of Tikkar village against unidentified persons
Police have registered a case of defamation and spreading false news on Wednesday after a video surfaced online, showing Himachal Pradesh chief minister (CM) Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu allegedly asking his associates if they wish to eat “Jungli Murga” (Grey Junglefowl), a protected species, during a dinner in a remote area.
The case has been registered in Kupvi police station on the complaint of Suman Chauhan, 35, head of Kulag gram panchayat and Neetu Kumar, 26, of Tikkar village against unidentified persons. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has termed it “irrational” and “politically motivated”.
BJP had demanded that the CM should issue an apology and take strict action against those responsible for serving the dish at the dinner and had also shared the video of CM having dinner in Tikkar village in Kupvi tehsil of Chopal subdivision in Shimla district, during a ‘Sarkar Gaon Ke Dwar’ initiative.
Chief minister Sukhu had responded by saying, “The villagers served the chicken (desi) for dinner, but I refused as I do not eat it and now Jai Ram Thakur is making an issue out of it.” “I do not eat oily and non-vegetarian food due to health reasons,” he later added in a statement on X, insisting that opposition leaders have no real issue and are merely trying to tarnish the image of the villagers.
The incident came to light after an animal welfare organisation shared a video and the menu that included “Jungli Murga”, siddu, bicchu booti (a local herb), and breads made from maize and wheat, which quickly went viral. In the video shared widely on the internet, Sukhu is seen asking his companions if they wish to eat the dish.
Now the gram panchayat head, Suman in the compliant said that Grey Junglefowl is not found in their area and the CM maintained that he was referring to “desi murga”.
In her complaint, Chauhan claimed the villagers had cooked traditional food of the area for the CM but someone spread a “fake” menu on the internet and defamed the culture and traditions of the area.
“Our customs and traditions have been misrepresented,” Chauhan added while seeking action.
Police have registered a case under Sections 353 (2) and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unknown people on December 17.
Reacting on registration of case, BJP spokesperson and state social media in-charge Chetan Bragta who had sought apology from CM, said, that filing of FIR is not only irrational but also exposes the politically motivated intention of the Congress government. He said, “Congress government of the state is deliberately targeting big BJP leaders and reputed media houses of the state. This action is against democratic values, which the BJP strongly condemns.”
Bragta said, “Congress has tried to suppress the voice of big leaders and media houses by registering FIR against them in a planned manner. This step clearly shows that the Congress government is incapable of facing uncomfortable questions and criticism.”
The state BJP strongly condemns this entire matter and warns the government that every attempt to suppress the voice of democratic institutions will fail.
