Chaos on road leading to Bhararisain Assembly building as Congress protest against Dhami govt

The main opposition Congress on Tuesday created chaos en route to the state assembly at Bhararisain in Gairsain, the venue of the ongoing budget session.

Congress workers, led by state party leaders, tried to march towards the Assembly building but were stopped midway leading to bedlam and blockade of the road between Karnprayag and Gairsain.

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The protestors from across the state travelled hundreds of kilometers to respond to party’s call for a march to Gairsain in protest against various issues raised. Senior Congress leader and former minister Harak Singh Rawat, former speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, State women Congress president Jyoti Rautela, former PCC president Karan Mahra led the protest, blocking roads at Jungle Chatti and Diwalikhal resulting in prolonged traffic jams with serpentine queues of vehicles on both sides of the roads between Karnaprayag and Gairsain. Scores of Congress workers from Dehradun, Chamoli, and adjoining areas of Kumaon region travelled more than 200 kilometers to take part in the protest.

As the protesters started arriving at Diwalikhal entrance for the Bhararisain assmbly building, police raised two to three huge barricades to quell the protest and prevent the Congress march at the distance of nearly 20 kilometers. The police and administration tried to stop the protesters at a minimum of three to four kilometers’ distance ahead of the assembly building.

However, the Congress workers first crossed the the barricade at Jungle Chatti and marched towards a barricades at Diwalikhal braving water cannons. This was followed by the gathering of protesters at Diwalikhal poured from all directions. The police had to resort to use of massive water cannons to disperse them even as the Congress leaders and workers remained undeterred. Finally the protesters were persuaded by senior administrative and police officials to end the protest after submitting their demands.

The Protesters demanded early rectification of fast deteriorating law and order situation in the state, justice to Ankita Bhandari, the 19-year-old girl who was killed and thrown in a canal in 2024 by a resort owner, corruption prevailing in the government offices, and alleged poor governance of Pushkar Singh Dhami government.