Kullu Dussehra: Tehsildar enters deity’s camp with shoes on, roughed up by devotees, removed from duty

A senior officer told The Indian Express, “Tehsildar Hari Singh Yadav’s inadvertent act triggered anger among the attendants of the deity and devotees. The situation escalated and a mob roughed up the officer inside the camp. Taking cognizance, we have relieved him (Yadav) of all fair-related duties.” Several purported videos of the incident have since surfaced, showing the tehsildar being grabbed by the collar and pushed around by the crowd.

The telsildar was forced to apologise before the deity, said sources, adding that he has not filed any complaint regarding the incident.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla inaugurated the Kullu International Dussehra Mela on October 2. The fair is known for its grand congregation of more than 300 deities and lakhs of devotees, and is considered one of Himachal Pradesh’s most important cultural and religious events.

The Kullu administration has assured that additional measures will be taken to ensure smooth conduct of the festival and to avoid recurrence of such incidents.