DEHRADUN: Police have registered a case against Congress MLA Harish Dhami and five others for allegedly vandalising the stage at the Jauljibi fair in Pithoragarh district and assaulting BJP workers shortly after the Chief Minister left the venue.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the historic fair on Saturday and addressed the gathering before leaving the venue. Harish Dhami, the local MLA from Dharchula and chairperson of the fair committee, later said he was upset because the Chief Minister had neither heard him nor given him an opportunity to speak from the stage.
According to the police complaint, the MLA and his supporters then went on stage and raised slogans. It alleges that they used abusive language and damaged property. Police personnel at the venue tried to defuse the situation, but the group allegedly pushed officers and others, disrupting official work.
Later that evening, local BJP workers staged a protest outside Joljibi police station and submitted a complaint against Dhami and his supporters, seeking action against the MLA and those allegedly involved. Police had not registered a case by the evening, according to the account provided.
Joljibi station house officer Harendra Singh Negi said police had taken cognisance of the incident and registered a case against six named people and others.
“Joljibi police have registered a case against Harish Singh Dhami and five others—Ram Singh Rokaya, Saurabh Martolia, Nrip Singh, Manohar Tolia and Vikram Danu—under Sections 121(1), 132, 191(2), 324(3) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,” Negi said.
He added that an investigation was under way and further legal action would be taken on the basis of evidence. The allegations have not been independently established.
Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal criticised the state government over the incident, backing Dhami’s protest and accusing the BJP government of disregarding democratic conventions.
“Not allowing an elected local representative to speak at a historic event in his own constituency, and switching off his microphone, is wholly undemocratic and condemnable,” Godiyal said in a statement.
He said denying the MLA an opportunity to address the gathering was not only an affront to the legislator but also an insult to the people he represents. The Congress leader did not comment on the allegations of vandalism or pushing police personnel.
The Jauljibi fair is one of Uttarakhand's oldest trade and cultural fairs, held annually from November 14 at the confluence of the Kali and Gori rivers in Pithoragarh's Dharchula area. Formally organised in 1914, it historically linked traders from India, Nepal and Tibet. Pilgrims regard the confluence as sacred, while Bhotiya traders sell woollens, handicrafts and local produce every year.
