Residents protest Nagrota Surian panchayat notification, detained

The ‘Nagar Panchayat Hatao Vikas Khund Bachao’ Sangharsh Samiti, formed by residents of Nagrota Surian in the Jawali Assembly constituency, faced police detention yesterday while attempting to meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during his visit to the area. The samiti planned to submit demands to revoke the notification for creating Nagrota Surian Nagar Panchayat by merging four gram panchayats and to oppose relocating the Block Development Officer’s office to Jawali.

Before they could reach Bassa, where the Chief Minister was inaugurating a Rs 3.20 crore Wildlife Information Centre, the police intercepted the samiti members one kilometer away, detained them, and transported them to an isolated location three kilometers away. They were released after a few hours.

Samiti president and former Nagrota Surian gram panchayat pradhan, Sanjay Mahajan, criticised the police action, calling it undemocratic and a violation of fundamental rights. He claimed the members were peacefully proceeding to present their demands and accused authorities of suppressing dissent. Enraged by the incident, the samiti members raised slogans against local MLA and Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar.

Mahajan announced plans to intensify their agitation, including launching a chain hunger strike until the notification is revoked. He said the residents remain resolute in their demand to retain the existing administrative structure.

DSP Jawali Biri Singh justified the police action, stating the samiti had not scheduled a meeting with the Chief Minister. Detention was a precautionary measure to avoid disruptions during the CM’s programme.

The incident has highlighted discontent among Nagrota Surian residents, with tensions escalating over administrative changes imposed by the government without local consultation. — OC