Shimla, Aug 30,
Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today brought up a serious issue in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, alleging that his government accommodation at Ramchander Chowk in Shimla was under drone surveillance. Thakur claimed that drones were being operated from the nearby residence of the Superintendent of Police (SP) Shimla, suggesting the surveillance was at the behest of the state government.
During the question hour, Thakur raised the matter through a point of order, stating that drones were observed flying over his residence, specifically near the windows, doors, and the road leading to his house. He remarked, “I noticed this morning that a drone was making rounds near my residence, and it happened four times. The SP of Shimla also resides near my accommodation, and it was discovered that the drone was being operated from his residence.” Thakur questioned the legitimacy of such surveillance, accusing the SP of attempting to snoop on the Leader of Opposition.
Thakur further alleged that this was not the first instance of such surveillance on him. “In addition to phone snooping, during recent political turmoil, several police personnel were deployed to monitor me, inquiring about the people coming to and leaving my residence,” Thakur added, criticizing the state government for its alleged focus on surveillance rather than addressing law and order issues. He warned the government, stating that “heydays will not last forever,” and the precedent being set by these actions is highly inappropriate.
In response, the Speaker assured the house that he would personally look into the matter and take cognizance of the issue. He also requested the treasury benches to refrain from intervening on the point of order. Addressing a separate issue during the question hour, the Speaker clarified that the BJP members did not walk out of the house during the Chief Minister’s reply but were merely protesting. He pointed out that the protest was not clearly articulated in the house.
Earlier, Thakur raised the issue of the construction of a government college in Thunag. In response, Jagat Singh Negi remarked that Thakur’s concerns seemed detached from reality, further provoking the opposition benches. Thakur insisted on a clear timeline for the college’s construction, to which the minister responded dismissively, stating that the question was far from reality.
After the question hour, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu addressed the allegations of surveillance, dismissing them as baseless. “We are not snooping on the Leader of Opposition; it is not our work. Is it not the ED that is mapping your building?” Sukhu remarked. His comments led to a ruckus in the house, with the Speaker urging the opposition to allow the Chief Minister to respond.
The Chief Minister reiterated that the state government was not tapping the phones of any MLAs, stating, “No MLA, out of 68, is being snooped on. There are only two agencies that could potentially snoop on the Leader of Opposition—ED and CBI. We will verify this.”
Thakur, however, countered the Chief Minister’s statement, claiming that his staff had verified that the drone was operated from the homes of senior police officers, not from other agencies like the ED or CBI. He further accused these officers of harassing opposition MLAs, forcing them to surrender their phones, and failing to prevent crimes such as the recent murder on Mall Road. Thakur also alleged that forensic reports were being tampered with by the same officers.
The Chief Minister concluded by stating that the government would investigate the matter and would write to the ED and CBI to verify whether they were involved in the surveillance. He emphasized that the government had the right to conduct a thorough probe before any accusations were made.
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