Munish Sood
MANDI: The recent surge in violence in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district has taken a new turn with former Congress MLA Bambar Thakur’s younger son Ishan Thakur accusing BJP MLA Trilok Jamwal of “masterminding” the brutal attack on his father on March 14 (2025).
In a bold statement, Bambar Thakur’s son alleged that Jamwal was running a “chitta mafia” (illegal drug network) in the Bilaspur region. He alleged his father had exposed the nexus, which led to the deadly attack on him.
Trilok Jamwal has rejected the allegations as “baseless”, and that he would soon “hold a press conference to bring the truth out”.
Series of violent attacks in Bilaspur
The violence first erupted in February 2024 when Bambar Thakur was attacked near the Bhanuplli-Bilaspur-Beri railway project site in Jabli.
Bambar Thakur, who was negotiating local employment issues, was assaulted with iron rods and sharp weapons. Both he and his sons sustained serious injuries.
Several persons, including Manjeet Nadda, Gaurav Kumar, Saurav Patial, Pradeep, Suraj and Kulbhushan Thakur, were booked under various IPC sections.
In a retaliatory move in June 2024, Saurav Patial, one of the accused in the February attack, was shot outside the Bilaspur court complex.
Investigations revealed that Bambar Thakur’s elder son Puranjan Thakur was allegedly the mastermind behind the firing. He was arrested and charged for plotting the attack.
Serious allegations against BJP leader
Following the incidents, Bambar Thakur’s younger son Ishan has directly blamed BJP MLA Trilok Jamwal for orchestrating the attack on his father.
Ishan alleged that Jamwal was actively operating the chitta mafia in Bilaspur, which his father had exposed. According to him, the attack was politically motivated to silence Bambar Thakur.
“These attacks are not just random acts of violence, but part of a well-planned conspiracy led by Trilok Jamwal and his associates in the drug mafia. My father exposed their illegal activities and they tried to eliminate him,” he said.
Political blame game intensifies
Bambar Thakur himself had earlier accused BJP leaders of plotting against him and his family.
He claimed that the BJP leaders were shielding those involved in the drug trade and targeting him for raising his voice against the illegal network.
Thakur’s supporters have staged protests in Bilaspur, demanding an impartial investigation and action against the culprits.
People raise questions over law and order
These back-to-back violent incidents have raised serious concerns about law and order in Himachal Pradesh.
People have been questioning how a former MLA and his family could be attacked so brutally while the accused continued to roam free.
“If a leader like Bambar Thakur is not safe in his own district, what protection does the common man have,” asked a local resident.
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