Angry villagers block D’shala-chandigarh road for three hours

SHIMLA: A group of protesters from Una district’s Raipur Sahodha village staged a midnight protest blocking the Chandigarh-dharamshala highway for over three hours on Friday.

The villagers-led by local legislator from Una, Satpal Raizada, were protesting against the death of a man who had been missing for over two weeks.

A man in his early 20’s, Sumit of Raipur Sahodha village, was found hanging on a tree at Kotla village on Friday evening. He had gone missing from the village on September 24.

Agitated over the death and police inaction, the villagers kept the dead body on the Dharamshala-chandigarh highway at Una town’s Red Light Square, blocking the road from 10pm to 1am. They resorted to sloganeering and alleged foul play in the death.

Realising the situation going out-of-control, superintendent of police Dewar Sharma along with other officials reached the spot and pacified the protesting villagers.

THE DECEASED HAD GONE MISSING ON SEPT 24 AND HIS BODY WAS FOUND HANGING ON A TREE ON FRIDAY EVENING, VILLAGERS ALLEGE FOUL PLAY

Police said, on September 24, Sumit had left his village to meet his uncle in Bangana. However, after reaching Bangana he left back for his village and went missing after that. Nikhil, younger brother of the deceased, had told police that he spoke to Sumit on September 24, who informed him that due to heavy rain he would halt at his friend’s place in the night. However, when Sumit did not return home on September 25, his relatives launched a manhunt to trace him.

Later, they had filed a missing person complaint at the Una police station.