Shimla: Tensions flared outside the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat at Chhota Shimla on Thursday as protesters demanding the withdrawal of the UGC Act clashed with police. The situation escalated when some demonstrators climbed the Secretariat gate, prompting the police to use water cannons and later resort to a lathi-charge to disperse the crowd.
The protest was organised under the banner of the Devbhoomi Kshatriya Party as part of a wider campaign led by the Swarn Samaj, which is seeking the withdrawal of the legislation. The demonstrators alleged that certain provisions of the UGC Act were unfair to children from the Swarn Samaj community and urged the Central Government to revoke the law.
The protest was led by Devbhoomi Kshatriya Party president Rumit Singh Thakur, while Mahipal Singh Makrana, national president of the Rajput Karni Sena, also joined the demonstration.
The protesters had gathered outside the Secretariat and were staging a sit-in to press their demands. However, tensions escalated when some demonstrators climbed the main gate, leading to a confrontation with the police.
Initially, the police deployed water cannons in an attempt to control the gathering and disperse the protesters. As the confrontation intensified, the police resorted to a lathi-charge to bring the situation under control.
The incident created a tense atmosphere outside the Secretariat, with police personnel attempting to manage the crowd and prevent further escalation.
The protesters maintained that the provisions of the UGC Act were detrimental to the interests of children belonging to the Swarn Samaj and called on the Central Government to withdraw the legislation.
The demonstration in Shimla forms part of the community-led campaign against the Act, with protesters demanding its repeal and questioning the fairness of its provisions.
