Shimla, Feb 28 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh BJP MLA Randhir Sharma on Saturday alleged that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu was the mastermind behind the shirtless protest by Youth Congress workers at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi recently.
Addressing a press conference, Sharma levelled serious charges against the Himachal Pradesh government and the chief minister over the protest, which he termed an “irresponsible” and “anti-national” act.
Sharma alleged that Sukhu was the mastermind behind the incident and misused constitutional and legislative procedures for political gains.
On February 20, a group of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) workers staged a dramatic protest inside Hall No. 5 of the summit venue in Delhi by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with anti-government slogans, before being whisked away by security personnel.
On Wednesday, a high-voltage drama unfolded in Shimla after a team of Delhi Police arrested three IYC workers from a hotel in Rohru near the Himachal capital, for their alleged involvement in the protest.
The arrests sparked a tense standoff between the police forces of Delhi and Himachal, which ended on Thursday morning, when the team from Delhi was finally cleared to head back to the national capital with the accused trio.
The Delhi Police team was detained for about five hours even after procuring a transit remand from the ACJM concerned in Shimla, sources said.
Sharma claimed that those involved in the protest were accommodated at the Himachal Sadan in Delhi, with Sukhu publicly acknowledging that room bookings were made through his office.
Calling the matter extremely serious, Sharma demanded a high-level probe into the entire episode by a central agency, and a separate investigation into the role of the chief minister and his office.
According to Sharma, after an FIR was registered in Delhi, some of the accused were allegedly moved to remote areas in Himachal Pradesh under government protection, and when Delhi Police, armed with a court-approved transit remand, attempted to take the accused back, Himachal Pradesh Police obstructed them and registered a case of abduction against their Delhi counterparts.
“The unprecedented confrontation between two police forces raises grave constitutional concerns,” Sharma said, wondering if the Himachal Police acted under political pressure.
“Himachal Pradesh is a peaceful and patriotic state. Unfortunately, the dignity of constitutional offices was compromised. The truth must come out, and accountability must be fixed,” Sharma said. PTI BPL ARI
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