Lawyers Gherao Chhota Shimla Police Station After Cop Thrashes Advocate, Protest Brings Capital to Standstill
Shimla, April 21:
The legal fraternity in Himachal Pradesh rose in rebellion on Monday as lawyers from the High Court and district courts in Shimla boycotted proceedings and gheraoed the Chhota Shimla police station, demanding justice after a lawyer was allegedly thrashed by a policeman.
The most hit were the common citizens whose cases were postponed for yet another date as proceedings were disrupted by the protest.
Chants of “Police goons down down!” echoed outside the police station, which is barely a stone’s throw from the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat.
The protesting lawyers demanded an immediate FIR against the accused cop and strict departmental action, slamming the administration for shielding those in uniform.
“If this is how a lawyer is treated, imagine the horror a common man faces at the hands of the police,” shouted one of the protesting lawyers, summing up the widespread anger in the legal community.
Addressing the agitated lawyers senior advocates Shravan Dogra, Ashok Sharma, Sanjeev Bhushan, Kochar, president of HP High court Bar Piyush Verma and others lodged the strong protest that the matter has become very serious and needs its quick resolution before things go out of hand.
"we have come to know that the police administration is doing partisan role for the last one week. This has forced lawyers to come here and gherao to the police station. The police cannot take law into its hand and every body has to act per the Constitution", Dogra said.
The protest not only sent shockwaves through the corridors of power but also brought traffic to a screeching halt on the busy Chhota Shimla–Sanjauli road. With tourists thronging Shimla in the peak season, the gherao caused massive jams and left locals fuming.
Meanwhile, social media exploded in outrage, with netizens posting videos and questioning the police’s high-handedness. “If the law’s custodians are being beaten on the streets, is anyone safe in Himachal?” asked one user.
Despite public fury and the lawyers’ demand for swift justice, the administration remained tight-lipped till evening, further fuelling the perception of systemic arrogance.
The ball is now in the government’s court—will it stand with the rule of law, or let rogue elements in uniform rewrite the law on the streets?
