Traders shut shops in Purola against Section 144 imposition
Heavy police force has been deployed across the town and borders of the district have been sealed not allowing people to reach Purola
Trade associations shut their shops in Uttarkashi’s Purola against the imposition of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to ensure law and order amid calls given by right wing organisations for mahapanchayat on Thursday.
Heavy police force has been deployed across the town and borders of the district have been sealed not allowing people to reach Purola.
The Uttarkashi district administration had denied permission to hold the mahapanchayat.
Also Read: Sec 144 imposed in Purola ahead of mahapanchayat called by right-wing bodies
Brij Mohan Chauhan, president of local Vyapar Mandal, said, “We have called a bandh against the imposition of Section 144 of CrPC. It’s a peaceful hill town. The action was uncalled for. All shops will remain closed today.”
Virender Singh Rawat, working president of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), said, “Since the prohibitory orders are in place, we are holding a meeting and will hand over a memorandum to the administration.”
The right wing organisations on Wednesday evening had insisted on holding the mahapanchayat.
According to a senior police official, “All security arrangements have been made and adequate force has been deployed. No one will be allowed to take law into their hands.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had on Wednesday said that the government has appealed to everyone to maintain peace and not to take law into their own hands.
Communal tension has been brewing in Purola since an alleged abduction attempt on a minor girl on May 26.
Two accused, including a person from the minority community, have been arrested in connection with the case.
On Tuesday, the Uttarkashi administration denied permission for the mahapanchayat and imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in the town.
On June 4, posters asking Muslim traders to vacate their shops in Purola before a mahapanchayat on June 15 had come up at various places.
The Uttarakhand high court on Thursday will hear a plea to prevent right wing organisations from holding a mahapanchayat in Purola.
The Association for the Protection of Civil Rights moved the court on Wednesday, hours after the Supreme Court refused to entertain its plea against the mahapanchayat.