Heavy security foils protest bid during Himachal Agriculture Minister’s visit

Heavy police deployment in Vantungli Gram Panchayat of Nagrota Surian Development Block (Jawali assembly constituency) on Monday thwarted an attempt by protestors to gherao local MLA and Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar.

The minister was in the area to lay the foundation stone of a Rs 1.14 crore community centre.

The ‘Save Nagrota Surian Development Block Sangharsh Samiti’, which has been on a 19-day relay fast protesting the government’s decision to relocate the block office from Nagrota Surian to Jawali, had announced plans to gherao the minister. In response, the administration made elaborate security arrangements, forcing the Samiti to withdraw its protest.

Interestingly, several Congress workers from the Nagrota Surian area also distanced themselves from the minister’s event. They had earlier opposed the block office relocation at a June 25 meeting in Nagrota Surian, convened by Dr. Gulshan Kumar, former general secretary of the Kangra District Congress Committee.

These workers had supported the Sangharsh Samiti’s ongoing agitation.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Kumar criticized the dissenting Congress workers, warning them to align with the party’s mainstream or join the BJP. He also accused the Sangharsh Samiti of being politically motivated and backed by a BJP faction. Taking a stern stance, he instructed the local DSP to evict the Samiti members from the Block Development Office premises by invoking Section 144 of the BNNS-2023.

Taking a swipe at the protesters, the minister advised them to shift their agitation towards issues like inflation and unemployment instead of opposing government decisions for political gain.