PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Uttarakhand State Commission for Women (USCW) has urged the State government to intervene regarding the circumstances arising during the recent survey and encroachment removal proceedings related to forest land in Bapugram, Gumaniwala, Suman Vihar and the surrounding areas of Rishikesh. USCW chairperson Kusum Kandwal met chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday, where she submitted a letter requesting the withdrawal of cases filed against innocent citizens accused in this matter in the public interest.
Recently, residents of the Gumaniwala area of Rishikesh protested against an anti-encroachment drive by the Forest department undertaken onndirections of the Supreme Court. During the protests, some individuals reportedly threw stones at the Forest department’s teams, which were carrying out land demarcation following a recent Supreme Court order. Subsequently, teams from the Government Railway Police (GRP) and the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) were deployed to control the situation and senior administrative and police officers arrived to manage the unrest.
Kandwal said that when a joint police and administration team arrived to survey the forest land and remove encroachments, the situation escalated into confusion and chaos, resulting in a large gathering of citizens. As a consequence of this incident, numerous cases have been filed against citizens under various sections of the law. In her letter to the CM , Kandwal emphasised that this incident was not a planned protest or an act of defiance against the government or administration, but rather a reaction to the confusion and fear in the situation.
She said that many innocent individuals have been unfairly targeted in these cases, including those who are the sole breadwinners for their families. Kandwal expressed hope that the government would approach this incident from a humanitarian and sensitive perspective, instructing the withdrawal of cases against innocent citizens. This action would provide mental relief to the affected families and help strengthen public trust in the government, she said.
