Shimla, Jan 28,
After the former Shimla Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar writing to Governor of the State, the Himachal Forum for Peace and Harmony has expressed serious concern over the alleged communal overtones in a nukkad natak staged on the issue of chitta (drug menace) during the state-level Republic Day celebrations in Shimla, calling the incident constitutionally inappropriate and socially dangerous.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, Kuldeep Tanwar, Convenor of the Forum said it was deeply unfortunate that such a portrayal took place at a constitutional event attended by the Governor, Chief Minister, senior ministers, top police and administrative officers, and heads of departments. It maintained that Republic Day symbolises the core values of the Constitution—justice, liberty, equality and secularism—and introducing a communal narrative on such an occasion runs contrary to these principles.
The Forum categorically stated that the problem of chitta and drug abuse is neither religion-based nor community-specific, but a highly organised, profit-driven criminal enterprise sustained by greed, systemic failures and lack of strong political will. Giving the drug menace a communal colour, it said, is factually incorrect, constitutionally wrong and socially harmful, as it diverts attention from the real culprits—the drug mafia, their financial networks and those who enable or protect them.
Warning that such portrayals risk stigmatizing communities and weakening social harmony, the Forum said communal narratives neither help in curbing drug abuse nor serve public interest. It underlined that Himachal Pradesh has a long history of peaceful coexistence, with minorities forming a small proportion of the population and no significant record of communal violence. Attempts to inject communal narratives into public discourse, it alleged, appear to be a deliberate strategy by certain political outfits to polarise society for narrow political gains.
The Himachal Forum for Peace and Harmony demanded immediate clarification on how such content was included in an official Republic Day programme, fixing accountability by identifying those who scripted and approved the performance, and corrective measures to prevent misuse of constitutional events for divisive messaging. It also sought a strong advisory to all government departments and cultural bodies to ensure that no future programmes carry communal overtones.
Emphasising that the fight against drugs requires unity, evidence-based policy, strict law enforcement and political will, the Forum rejected communalisation of the issue and urged the government to move beyond tokenistic awareness campaigns. It called for a comprehensive, result-oriented strategy to dismantle drug networks at their roots, while reaffirming support for all sincere efforts by the government and civil society to combat the menace.
Earlier, former Deputy Mayor of Shimla Tikender Singh Panwar had also written to the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, seeking an inquiry and legal action over the same Republic Day skit, alleging that it targeted a specific community, violated constitutional values, and attracted provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity and spreading communal misinformation.
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