SHIMLA: The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has sought reply from the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary (Home) Government of Himachal Pradesh, the Director General of Police, Deputy Commissioners Kullu and Bilaspur and Superintendent of Police Kullu and Bilaspur in a matter pertaining to hooliganism created by the “tourists” at Manali, Manikaran and Bilaspur four days back.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice, Sabina, and Justice Satyen Vaidya passed this order on a writ petition taken up suo moto as Public Interest Litigation on the basis of a newspaper items that appeared in some newspapers on 06.03.2023 and 07.03.2023.
As per news items published on 06.03.2023 it has been reported that the tourists from Punjab created ruckus at Manali’s Green Tax Barrier on Sunday afternoon.
The tourists got entangled with the workers for not paying green tax and within no time around 100 motorcyclists gathered on road and started shouting and raising slogans and made the atmosphere tense. The tourists were making hue and cry over payment of green tax.
On both sides, there was long queues of vehicles. It has been also reported that the flag of Khalisthan was also hoisted on a motorcycle and on seeing the police in action the rider dropped the flag.
The SDM Manali reached the spot and brought the situation under control with the help of police personnel.
On 07.03.2023, another news item appeared in the newspaper reporting therein that the tourists from Punjab also went on rampage at Manikaran, which famous for its Gurudwara and Hot baths.
It was a riot like situation witnessed at Manikaran on the night of 06.03.2023 as over 100 hooligans/miscreants from Punjab created ruckus and rampaged through the town carrying flags in their hands.
Some miscreants had consumed alcohol, hurled beer bottles towards the Naina Mata temple and on the road.
It needs to be mentioned Even the videos
After local residents intervened, the miscreants went on a rampage and vandalized temples, houses and 20 vehicles with iron rods and sticks.
The tourists thrashed everyone they saw on the way and created an atmosphere of panic.
On being countered by a local boy, they hit him on the head with a beer bottle and also assaulted him with rod.
They entered an eatery forcible and misbehaved with those present there.
Five persons sustained injuries in the incident and there prevailed an atmosphere of fear and anguish among the local residents.
The local residents have demanded a strict action against the miscreants and to identify and apprehend them.
It was also reported that an FIR has been registered by the police against miscreants.
Yet another news item published on 07.03.2023, reported that after the incident at Manikaran, devotees from Punjab gathered in hundreds on Monday afternoon and created ruckus at Garamora in Bilaspur district.
The bike riders going to and returning from Manikaran gathered at Gharamora, Bilaspur, a gateway to Himachal Pradesh, on Chandigarh Manali NH, and kept the highway closed for about one and half hour.
This led to the queues of vehicles on both sides of highway.
The devotees demanded from the Himachal Pradesh Government that during religious visit to Manikaran, H.P police should not stop them unnecessarily.
With no presence of police there, the "arsonists in the guise of tourists" turned the tourist towns into the lawlessness bastions as if it was an organised hooliganism to vitiate atmosphere with no fear of authorities.
The videos of the hooligans from Punjab creating scenes in peaceful towns also went viral on social media.
