Rishikesh Mahapanchayat demands exposure of alleged political, police and liquor mafia unholy nexus with stringent legal action against the culprits who attacked journalist including withdrawal of counter FIR against the victim
The matter of brutal attack on Rishikesh journalist Yogesh Dimri and his colleagues by the local liquor mafia Sunil Ganje and his henchmen is gaining momentum in Rishikesh and other parts of Uttarakhand with a Mahapanchayat convened by the local social activists of Rishikesh holding a crucial meeting not only strongly condemning the massive attack on the journalist but has pledged to take this movement to the highest level to ensure stringent punishment to the culprits but also urged people to expose such liquor mafias in the holy township forbidding them to smuggle liquor elsewhere including standing in solidarity with the injured journalist and his colleagues who had gone to the illegal liquor business venue and were filming the illegal act when they were badly abused and thrashed with baseball bats broking the entire jaws , injuring on the head and face and leg fully plastered. The journalist Yogesh Dimri is convalescing in AIIMS Hospital, RISHIKESH WITH HIS HEAD BANDAGED AND FULL LEG PLASTERED having several fractures. According to the latest news yesterday, on 3 September 2024, a big mahapanchayat was organized by the local citizens at Neelkanth Wedding Point on Haridwar Road against the deadly attack by a liquor smuggler on journalist Yogesh Dimri in Rishikesh, in which hundreds of people rose above party politics. This incident was unanimously condemned. The people who reached there included people from many political parties including Congress, BJP, UKD, Aam Aadmi Party and social workers. Everyone expressed deep concern over the high morale of these smugglers and criminals and the political protection they are getting. They have made some demands from the government on some points and have given the government a week’s time to fulfill the demands. If the demands are not met, everyone has unanimously warned of a big demonstration on Monday. The following demands were placed before the government in the Mahapanchayat.
1. The FIR written by Vimlesh’s wife Sunil Walia alias Sunil “Ganja” is false, which should be immediately dismissed.
2. This crime has been committed in an organized and planned manner, hence legal action should be taken against the criminals under Section 111 of the Indian Justice Code and the Gangster Act.
3. The state government should immediately confiscate the property illegally acquired by the said liquor smugglers and their relatives.
4. The political and police protection and collusion should be exposed by extracting the details of the said liquor mafia and its associates for the last one year.
- The remaining attackers roaming free should be arrested immediately.
- The recording of the entire day of the incident of the DVR seized by the police from the house of the organized criminal syndicate should be preserved and it should also be made public so that transparency is maintained.
- Other mafias of Rishikesh area should be transferred to the district.
- The entire personnel working in Rishikesh Kotwali should be suspended.
- The political and police protection and collusion should be exposed by extracting the details of the said liquor mafia and its associates for the last one year.
- The remaining attackers roaming free should be arrested immediately.
- The recording of the entire day of the incident of the DVR seized by the police from the house of the organized criminal syndicate should be preserved and it should also be made public so that transparency is maintained.
- Other mafias of Rishikesh area should be transferred to the district.
Also, a delegation was formed in the Mahapanchayat to hold talks with top officials of the government and police, which included Vikas Semwal, Ramratan Raturi, District President BJP Kisan Morcha Narendra Rawat, educationist Himanshu Rawat, Pramod Sharma, Ashutosh Sharma, Advocate Lalmani Raturi, Rajeev Thapliyal, Vinod Chauhan, Harsh Gwadi, Sanjeev Chauhan, Manvendra Kandari, Satish Rawat, Vijay Bisht, Councilor Vipin Pant, Vijay Badoni, Nirmal Uniyal, Deepika Vyas, Prabhakar Painuli, Pawan Pandey etc. have been named mainly.
