The District Congress Committee in Rudraprayag has sent a memorandum to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami through the District Magistrate. In it, the party raised concerns over the recent incidents in Karnaprayag and Nagarasu.
Congress leaders objected to the decision to shift the inquiry into the Karnaprayag dispute involving Nihang Sikhs and local youths to Haridwar district. They said this move amounts to mental harassment of the local youths and demanded that the probe remain with Chamoli Police.
On the Nagarasu Gurdwara issue, Congress alleged that the people accused of trying to take control of the gurdwara, pelting stones and allegedly holding people linked to the shrine hostage should face strict legal action.
The party also said the temporary suspension of Char Dham Yatra registrations, despite favourable weather, along with the incidents in Karnaprayag and Nagarasu, has harmed the image of the pilgrimage. It said the developments have especially affected the Kedarnath and Badrinath yatra.
Congress accused the state government and police of failing to control anti-social elements and people moving with weapons on the Char Dham routes.
The party has also demanded land for the ancient Laxman Temple. Along with this, it has called for an impartial probe into the incidents and any larger conspiracy that may have disrupted the yatra during the peak season.
Former Kedarnath MLA Manoj Rawat said the memorandum contains three main demands.
On the first demand, Rawat said the state government has neither filed a case nor made arrests against those involved. Instead, he alleged, they were welcomed with garlands and flowers and given police protection up to the state border. He questioned why, in contrast, the Karnaprayag case involving local youths was handed over to Haridwar Police. He said the memorandum also seeks registration of a case against the accused and their immediate arrest.
Speaking about the second demand, Rawat said in the Nagarasu case, a case should be filed against those involved under the relevant legal sections and they should be arrested without delay. He added that strict laws available in the country to deal with terrorism should also be invoked and the accused should be sent to jail.
Rawat stressed that the party is not against the Sikh community or gurdwaras. He said its objection is to certain institutions that, according to him, have received government patronage.
He also said he wanted to remind people that one of the most beautiful tributes to a mother was written by Guru Gobind Singh, underlining that the party has no issue with the Sikh faith.
At the same time, he alleged that some institutions have been protected by successive governments at the cost of local interests. Rawat also referred to an old incident involving the Govindghat police station. He claimed that after Uttarakhand was formed, during the government of Nityanand Swami, some officials took money and handed over the police station to an institution.
"I can give an example of what the Uttarakhand Police will do about these terrorists! There was a Uttarakhand Police station in Govindghat, and as soon as the state was formed, during Nityanand Swami's government, some state government officials took money and handed that police station over to an institution. In the history of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, there has never been any such incident where a police station was broken into, but the police station in Govindghat was broken into and handed over to an institution. From that day, the spirits of some people have risen," he said.
Meanwhile, the Nihang Sikhs had been staying on the fourth floor and rooftop of the Nagarasu Gurdwara since June 20. During this period, police and administrative officials remained in touch with them and efforts were being made to resolve the matter through talks.
Also read: Nihangs storm gurdwara in Rudraprayag, hold manager hostage
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