Breaking News: Shimla Turns Flashpoint: Thousands of Apple Farmers Gherao HP Secretariat, Demand Relief After SC Stay
Shimla, July 29:
The state capital turned into a sea of protest on Tuesday as thousands of apple farmers from across Himachal Pradesh braved the rain and stormed Shimla, gheraoing the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat in Chhota Shimla.
The trigger? A High Court order directing eviction and felling of apple trees on government land—now stayed by the Supreme Court.
Waving red flags, holding banners, and shouting anti-government slogans, the protesting farmers — including a large number of women — poured in from every direction of the city, turning Shimla into a flashpoint of agrarian unrest.
The protest, called by farmers’ organisations including the Kisan Sabha and supported by left-leaning outfits, is demanding an immediate moratorium on apple tree felling and evictions.
They are also pressing for a comprehensive regularisation policy under Section 163-A of the Land Revenue Act and implementation of the Forest Rights Act in the hill state.
“We’re not encroachers, we’re cultivators. The government can’t uproot us and our apple orchards like this,” shouted one of the protesting women from Kotkhai.
Today’s protest also coincided with a crucial Cabinet meeting, putting added pressure on the Sukhu-led Congress government to take a clear stand.
So far, the government has remained non-committal on whether it will approach the Supreme Court to challenge or clarify the High Court order and take stepsto frame policy in this direction.
Meanwhile, farmers allege that the silence of the state is emboldening forest and revenue officials to initiate arbitrary action in apple-growing belts under the guise of court orders.
“This is not just a protest, this is a warning. Apple Farmers are angry. If the government doesn’t act now, it’ll face the heat in the orchards and the streets, both,” said CPI(M) leader Rakesh Singha, member of Seb Utpadak Sangh present at the protest.
Shimla city saw massive traffic snarls as convoys of farmers and local supporters converged towards Chhota Shimla.
Security was beefed up around the Secretariat, with barricades and police deployment in full swing.
All eyes are now on how the Cabinet handles the matter — Will the Sukhu government stand with the apple growers or stay silent under legal pressure?
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