Punjab tourists ransack shops, houses in Himachal's Manikaran
Darpan News Desk IANS, 06 Mar, 2023 01:41 PM
Shimla, March 6 (IANS) At least 30 tourists, mainly from Punjab, on Monday ransacked shops and houses in Himachal Pradesh's Manikaran in Kullu district, famed for a Sikh shrine, police said.
The cause of the provocation is yet to be ascertained, an official told IANS, adding the situation is under control.
Videos of the ruckus were viral on the social media. Many parked vehicles and a nearby police station was pelted on with stones.
Himachal Pradesh Director General of Police Sanjay Kundu spoke to his Punjab counterpart Gaurav Yadav and apprised him about the sistation.
"This is regarding Manikaran incident of last night and early morning. Do not fall prey to fake news and rumour mongering. The DGP-HP Sanjay Kundu has spoken to DGP Punjab Sh. Gaurav Yadav," an official statement by the Himachal DGP said in a statement.
"All tourists and pilgrims are welcome to Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Police assures of hassle-free visits to all tourists and pilgrims," he added.
The Manikaran shrine, located in the Parvati Valley along the banks of the Parvati river, is some 50 km from the Kullu district headquarters and 250 from state capital Shimla.
The area is also known for its hot springs of water with high sulphur concentration.
In spite of the pressure and demand to step down, the accused seer has categorically refused to quit, according to sources. The meeting was held in the leadership of former minister H Ekantaiah in this regard and discussed future course of action.
According to information, the deceased used to beat the juveniles and would often snatch their money to buy alcohol and drugs. The juveniles had been planning to take revenge for this. A senior police official said that the deceased was identified as Ajay, a resident of Labor Colony in Outer Delhi. The official said that the juveniles stabbed him repeatedly and fled from the crime scene.
The murder of Brar, who was a close relative of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, has triggered an inter-gang rivalry between the Davinder Bambiha gang and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, leading to a spate of murders in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and the National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi. Brar was shot dead outside a nightclub in Chandigarh in October 2020.
It was alleged that the accused illegally collected public deposits throughout Odisha by alluring the people with various deposit schemes falsely promising high returns and did not refund the maturity amount and thereby cheated the investors of their due amount.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two persons for extorting money from foreign nationals in the form of cryptocurrencies and gift vouchers. The accused were identified as Vijay and Vishal.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday called upon the youth to follow the ideals of Shaheed Bhagat Singh to make Punjab a front-runner state in the country. The Chief Minister laid floral tributes to Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev here during which a contingent of Punjab Police gave guard of honour as a mark of respect.
