Dharamshala: A senior Himachal Pradesh BJP leader and former minister Bikram Thakur has accused Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and his Congress government of turning a widow’s cry for justice into a stage for political manoeuvring and institutional collapse. He issued a press statement here on Thursday (May 22, 2025).
Bikram Thakur said the tragic and suspicious death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited Chief Engineer Vimal Negi had shaken the conscience of the entire state. What followed, he alleged, was an appalling display of administrative decay and political interference that forced the judiciary to step in — an act that underscored the public’s growing distrust in the police and government institutions.
“For the first time in Himachal’s history, the Himachal Pradesh High Court had to restrain the police from filing a chargesheet in such a case without its permission and assumed direct oversight of the investigation. This wasn’t routine, it was a red alert,” said Thakur, emphasizing the gravity of judicial intervention. “It was clear that the investigation was being manipulated and the judiciary had to act as the last line of defence for justice.”
Thakur alleged that two of the state’s top police officers — the SP of Shimla and the Himachal DGP — stood on opposing sides in court. “When law enforcers themselves are divided under political pressure, the system is broken,” he declared.
Thakur condemned the Congress regime for allowing its internal factionalism to bleed into state governance. “This wasn’t just infighting within the Congress — it infected the police, the bureaucracy, and the entire structure of governance. The state paid the price.”
He slammed the administration for what he called a deliberate attempt to suppress the voice of a grieving widow. “A woman begged for justice for her late husband. Instead of support, she faced silence, evasion, and obstruction from those in power. It was not just moral failure—it was a crime against democracy.”
Thakur also linked the crisis to broader issues of corruption and misrule. He recalled how, after he exposed large-scale illegal deforestation, a Congress MLA from Mandi was accused in a similar scandal. “This wasn’t an isolated incident. It exposed a pattern—corruption protected by political power, and incompetence masked by propaganda.”
He squarely blamed Chief Minister Sukhu, calling his leadership a “historic mistake” that had plunged Himachal into chaos. “This state is now paying for one bad decision. Law and order have collapsed, the public feels unsafe, and justice is hanging by a thread—held only by the courts.”
Thakur urged the people of Himachal to stand firm in their faith in India’s democratic institutions. “The courts have stepped up where the government failed. We must rally behind truth and justice—not behind those who silence it.”
He thanked the Himachal Pradesh High Court for recognising the urgency of the moment and giving hope to a family betrayed by the system. “While the Congress government dragged the state into a leadership crisis, it was the judiciary that reminded us justice still has a voice.”
S Gopal Puri
