Gujjars stuck as Himachal Pradesh denies entry

Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, May 12

More than 150 Gujjar families from Chamba are stranded in the plains of three Punjab districts as they have been denied entry into Himachal Pradesh over fears that they have traversed through hotspots with livestock.

As such, they have been forced to camp along the Himachal border. The Gujjars, who have grazing rights in Pathankot, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur districts, start their homeward journey in March from the warmer climes of Punjab, where they spend winter as their native villages are snow-bound.

According to All-India Gujjar Mahasabha convener Hassan Deen, they migrate back to their villages in Tissa, Salooni and Bharmour areas of Chamba at the onset of summer. However, this year due to Covid-19 pandemic, they have been stranded and their pleas to the authorities for return have been rejected.