Incident comes after minister Anirudh Singh booked for ‘attacking’ NHAI officials
Munish Sood
MANDI:
After Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, another senior leader of the ruling Congress has been caught on the wrong side of the law in the state.
The latest controversy erupted in Bilaspur when former Congress MLA Bumber Thakur was involved in an altercation with the police. A video that quickly went viral shows Bumber Thakur pushing a senior police officer, Bilaspur Additional Superintendent of Police Shiv Kumar, and raising his voice in an aggressive manner. The confrontation took place when the police stopped Thakur and his supporters, who were reportedly heading to submit a memorandum related to a drug-related matter.
In the video, the ASP is heard cautioning Bumber Thakur, saying, “Don’t push me… and don’t use foul language.” But instead of calming tensions, Thakur escalated the situation by allegedly pushing the officer and accusing law enforcement of siding with “goons”. He questioned why he was being stopped and claimed an officer was “roaming openly with criminals”.
The incident adds to Bumber Thakur’s already controversial record. He had previously survived a gun attack during Holi and his son had been jailed in connection with a firing case. He is currently out on bail. The latest scuffle, however, marks a direct public challenge to law enforcement by a senior political figure.
Bumber Thakur’s son Ishan Thakur took to social media claiming that some miscreants from Punjab had attempted to attack his father. In the same video, Bumber Thakur can be seen asking, “Why am I being stopped? I came to submit a memorandum. An officer is openly roaming around with goons.”
The incident has sparked political and public reactions, with questions being raised over both law enforcement conduct and the alleged political pressure surrounding the issue.
Bumber Thakur has alleged that an attempt was made to attack him in Jabli on Tuesday. He claimed that during the incident, the attackers tried to distract his personal security officer (PSO) and were waiting for the right moment to strike. However, he added that the PSO remained alert and thwarted the attempt.
Bumber Thakur further stated that he had messaged the Superintendent of Police (SP) at around 5 pm that evening, but no action was taken by the police.
It is worth noting that Bumber Thakur had previously been shot at during Holi celebrations and was hospitalized for several days. His son, Ishan Thakur, was accused of orchestrating that shooting and had spent several days in jail. He is currently out on bail.
Earlier, Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh was booked for allegedly assaulting and threatening two senior NHAI officials in Shimla. The confrontation reportedly followed a building collapse that caused public panic. Though Anirudh has denied the charges, the FIR and eyewitness accounts paint a troubling picture of a minister who let anger override administrative responsibility.
