50 booked for protests against Himachal revenue minister in Seraj

Over 50 people have been booked for ''wrongful restraint'', ''unlawful assembly'' and ''rioting'' after they greeted the state revenue minister, Jagat Singh Negi, with black flags and ''go back'' slogans and tried to stop his vehicle in Himachal Pradesh's Mandi district, officials said.

Negi, who visited the rain-ravaged areas in Seraj assembly constituency on Friday, was greeted with angry protesters, who were against the shifting of the College of Horticulture and Forestry from Thunag.

Purported videos showing protesters with black flags hurling shoes at the minister's vehicle and trying to gherao it have gone viral on the internet.

The Congress said the entire incident was carried out with the patronage of the BJP.

Seraj is the assembly constituency of the leader of the opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.

Mandi police on Saturday registered a case under sections 126 (2), 189 (2) [wrongful restraint], 190 [unlawful assembly], 191 (2) [rioting] of BNS, officials said. BJP workers in Janjheli and Thunag areas of Seraj assembly constituency, which suffered massive damage and losses in the recent floods, had joined the protest on Friday.

Seraj BJP Mandal president, Bhishm Thakur, said black flags were shown to the minister in Janjheli and workers raised ''go back'' slogans. He said they also protested against the shifting of the College of Horticulture and Forestry from Thunag.

Taking a dig at the Congress government in the state, former BJP state president Satpal Singh Satti slammed the revenue minister for visiting the disaster-affected area of Seraj after 26 days.

Locals also opposed the shifting of the college and showed black flags, he said.

Addressing media persons here, he said the protestors were manhandled by the police, cases were registered against them and accused the government of suppressing the democratic rights of the people.

As many as 15 people died while 34 people remain missing following cloudburst, flash floods and landslides in Seraj, Nachan, Dharampur and Karsog assembly constituencies of Mandi districts on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1. Seraj was the most affected in the state.

Negi's remarks that many parts of the state were affected but LoP Thakur was only interested in his constituency, had drawn sharp reactions from the BJP.

On his part, Negi said, ''Peaceful meetings were held at three places and people met me with their representation at Thunag rest house on Friday for not shifting the College of Horticulture and Forestry from Thunag, and I told them that the matter would be taken up with the government.'' However, they pressed for a statement in favour of their demand and tried to stop the vehicle and raised slogans, which was not right as their problem had already been heard, he said.

He added that the horticulture college's location is unsafe, lacks hostel facilities, and even the students want the college to be shifted.

As many as 15 people died while 34 people remain missing following cloudburst, flash floods and landslides in Seraj, Nachan, Dharampur and Karsog assembly constituencies of Mandi districts on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1. Seraj was the most affected in the state.

Negi's remarks that many parts of the state were affected but LoP Thakur was only interested in his constituency, had drawn sharp reactions from the BJP. Terming the protests as a ''well-planned conspiracy'' of the BJP, Rural Development Minister Anirudh Singh and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani said that it was not just an insult to a minister but also a disgrace to the ''democratic set up, cultural dignity, and constitutional values'' of the state.

In a joint statement issued here, they said that Negi had gone to the Seraj region to assess the damage caused by a recent natural disaster and to meet the affected families. However, ''some anti-social elements'' behaved with him in a ''premeditated and indecent manner''.

''This entire incident appears to have taken place under the patronage of BJP leaders. The BJP has laid the foundation for an extremely unfortunate tradition in the political history of the state, the consequences of which could be quite grave in the future,'' the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)