FIR against students over sloganeering during Himachal CM's Darlaghat visit sparks row

Solan (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 8 (ANI): A political row has erupted in Himachal Pradesh after Solan police registered an FIR against several residents and students from Government College Darlaghat for alleged sloganeering during Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's recent visit to inaugurate animal husbandry schemes.
Sukhu was visiting the village of Darlaghat in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh.
The controversy began after a video surfaced on social media showing a section of the crowd shouting, "Sukhu ne bulaya hai, bhukhe hi tarpaya hai (Sukhu called us, only to leave us hungry)". The incident reportedly occurred during the lunch arrangements at the government function.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Solan Gaurav Singh confirmed that a case had been filed following the incident.
"An FIR has been registered after the video came to light," he said.
According to the FIR lodged on the complaint of local resident Basant Lal, the incident occurred around 2:00 PM on October 4. The complaint alleged that several girls raised slogans against the Chief Minister with the intention of inciting regional hatred and enmity.
The case was registered at Darlaghat Police Station under Sections 353(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deal with making or circulating statements or false information to promote enmity or ill will among groups.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state sharply criticised the move, accusing the Congress-led state government of misusing police powers to suppress dissent.
Former Chief Minister and Himachal Pradesh Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur addressed a press conference in Mandi on Tuesday and said, "The Sukhu government is obsessed with filing FIRs. Wherever a voice is raised against their failures, people are harassed, sent to jail, or their families targeted. No,w even students have not been spared."
He added, "Girls who complained of not getting food were booked under serious charges. This is sheer political vendetta."
BJP MLA and spokesperson Trilok Jamwal, in a media statement, termed the FIR "highly condemnable," alleging that "Himachal is being run under an authoritarian regime that silences every small voice of protest." He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIR.
Reacting to the criticism, Congress MLA from Arki, Sanjay Awasthy, defended the police action, saying that law and order had to be maintained.
"Miscreants had entered the CM's function with mala fide intentions and created a nuisance. The police are investigating as per procedure," he said while denying allegations that food was not served to attendees.
He added that the students involved "were not invited to the event and had trespassed into the area where the community meal (dham) was being prepared."
The incident has triggered heated exchanges between the ruling and opposition parties, with both accusing each other of politicising the episode. (ANI)