Yog Raj
The North News
Shimla, March 23
Tension gripped a vegetable market in Shimla on Monday morning after a clash broke out between members of two groups over a dispute concerning the ownership of a shop, police said.
Officers were deployed to the area after the confrontation, and the situation was brought under control, according to local authorities.
The dispute began after one group alleged that members of another community had forcibly taken possession of the shop by locking it.
However, the other side claimed legal ownership of the property and accused the existing occupants of refusing to vacate the premises.
The family currently running the shop said it had been operating there on rent for several decades and had continued to pay rent regularly to the owner. They alleged that a man from another community recently claimed to have purchased the shop in 2023 and asked them to vacate.
The family also said the original owner had never informed them about any sale and was still accepting rent.
Members of the Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti later reached the spot and raised slogans, alleging forcible occupation of the shop and assault on the family running it. During the protest, some items from the shop were also reportedly thrown outside.
Meanwhile, the other family maintained that they had legally purchased the shop in 2023 and had given the tenants six months to vacate. They alleged that despite repeated notices, the premises had not been vacated, leading to the dispute.
With tensions rising, police deployed additional personnel in the area. Authorities said statements had been recorded from both sides and an investigation was under way.
