Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, July 29
Thousands of farmers and apple growers from across Himachal Pradesh took to the streets of Shimla on Monday, demanding an immediate halt to evictions from government lands and the sealing of homes allegedly carried out in compliance with a High Court order. Organised by the Himachal Kisan Sabha and the Apple Growers Association, the protest march began from Talland and culminated at the state secretariat. Demonstrators broke through police barricades, leading to mild confrontations with security personnel and road blockades in the area.
Protesters voiced anger over the government’s handling of the eviction process, accusing it of uprooting families and damaging livelihoods by cutting down apple orchards on disputed lands.
Former MLA Rakesh Singha, addressing the crowd, sharply criticised the government, calling it “crippled” and “ineffective.” He referred to previous Supreme Court rulings where evictions were deemed unlawful, and said neither courts nor the government have provided a comprehensive solution. “Jails will fall short of space if mass arrests follow,” he warned.
Singha also criticised successive governments since 1980 for declaring all land forest under a 1952 notification. “Not even two inches of land were spared,” he alleged, calling the eviction drive a betrayal of the poor under the pretext of court orders. The protesting farmers are demanding ownership rights of up to five bighas for landless cultivators and an immediate suspension of all eviction operations. With tensions mounting, attention now turns to the state government’s response to growing rural discontent.
