The Solan police in Himachal Pradesh Saturday booked several residents and students of the Government Degree College in Darlaghat after they allegedly raised slogans during Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s recent visit on October 2. According to the police, the incident occurred during a government function organised by the Animal Husbandry Department. Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh told The Indian Express, "Some functionaries of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) created a disturbance at the venue. The FIR was lodged against unidentified people. They attempted to make the non-availability of food an issue at the venue. There was no question of denying food to anyone. It was being served turn by turn to prevent overcrowding." He added that some students have been identified through video footage and are being questioned. “The investigation also suggests that those involved in sloganeering were not invited to the event and tried to sabotage the function,” he said. According to the FIR, a local resident, Basant Lal, filed a complaint stating that around 2 pm on October 2, when he went to have lunch at the venue, he saw several girl students raising slogans against the chief minister. The complaint alleged that the act was deliberate and intended to incite hatred and enmity. The FIR dated October 4 at the Darlaghat police station booked the accused under sections 353(2) [circulate false information, rumour] and 3(5) [act committed by several people] of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). BJP calls Congress rule 'authoritarian' Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP condemned the Congress government’s move, terming it 'dictatorial'. BJP MLA and senior spokesperson Trilok Jamwal launched a scathing attack, alleging that an “authoritarian Congress regime” was functioning in Himachal Pradesh. “The government is filing FIRs at the drop of a hat, even against students. During the CM’s visit to Darlaghat, a few students and locals raised slogans after being denied food for a long time. Instead of addressing their grievance, the government filed an FIR against them. Such vindictive politics is condemnable,” Jamwal said. He demanded that the FIR against the students, particularly the girls, be withdrawn immediately, saying, “It would have been better if the government had acted against the mismanagement rather than the children.” Jamwal alleged that filing FIRs has become a hallmark of the “dictatorial Congress government”. He mentioned several cases, including FIRs against protesting teachers, government employees, opposition leaders, disaster-affected individuals, and journalists. “From samosas to jungli murga, nothing has been spared from FIRs by this government,” Jamwal said, accusing the regime of misusing police power to silence dissent.
