In this image posted on March 20, 2026, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu speaks during the Budget session of the state Assembly, in Shimla. Photo: @CMOFFICEHP/X via PTI Photo

Shimla:

Women Home Guards would be provided 180 days of maternity leave while the daily allowance for Home Guards during deployment outside the State would be increased from Rs 60 to Rs 500, said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday.

Presiding over the 62nd State-Level Raising Day celebrations of the Himachal Pradesh Home Guards and Civil Defence here, he said that the government would fill 700 vacant Home Guard posts to strengthen the force.

He also announced establishment of drone stations at all district headquarters to enhance disaster management capabilities and sanctioned a new landline number at the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Control Room to facilitate the people, a statement issued here said.

Emphasizing the commitment to modernizing the SDRF with advanced equipment and allocating sufficient funds for this purpose, he said that presently, SDRF was equipped with drones capable of lifting up to 5 kg and this force would soon receive drones with higher payload capacities to meet operational demands.

Additionally, funds would be allocated for the construction of the SDRF headquarters in Palampur and the Kangra Unit campus and to enhance communication, he added.

The event witnessed a splendid parade, led by Parade Commander Vinay Kumar, comprising 17 contingents. Platoon commander Lata Rahi led the women contingents, while various contingents from districts of the State displayed their skills under the leadership of their respective commanders.

Demonstrations of disaster management techniques on the theme “Surakshit Himachal” was a highlight. A Battle March Past by the Home Guard Jawans and a musical performance by the Home Guard band added grandeur to the event.

Extending his greetings on Home Guards Raising Day, Sukhu lauded the exemplary efforts of Home Guards, Fire Department personnel and SDRF during last year’s monsoon disaster in which over 500 people were killed and over 15,000 became homeless. “It was one of the most devastating disasters in our lifetime, resulting in significant loss of life and property, ” he said .

He said that to enhance disaster preparedness the State plans to train one percent of its population as Civil Defence volunteers over the next five years. The Home Guards have already conducted approximately 31,000 rescue and relief operations during the last decade, saving 3,600 lives and protecting properties worth over Rs. 10,000 crore, he informed.

The CM said that the government was improving the SDRF’s infrastructure, designating the Home Guards as First Responders during natural disasters and integrating them under the SDRF for faster response. He said that the 74 company offices and 12 training centres of the Home Guards across the State have been designated as Disaster Response Centers to bolster disaster readiness.

The state government has established four new fire stations in Nadaun, Deha, Indora and Kotkhai during the last two years and 240 posts of various categories have been created in the Fire Services Department and approval has been granted to procure eight fire vehicles to strengthen the working of the department, the statement added.

The CM also inaugurated Home Guards Department buildings worth Rs. 15.05 crore.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hamirpur/Shimla:

With samosa politics heating up in Himachal Pradesh, a BJP MLA has ordered 11 samosas online for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Taking a dig at the state’s Congress government over the CID conducting an enquiry into the sequence of events that led to samosas brought for the chief minister being served to his security staff, Ashish Sharma, the MLA from Hamirpur, shared this information on social media on Saturday.

However, the Congress maintained that the state government had not ordered any such inquiry and it could be an internal matter of the CID. A top CID official has also said that no formal inquiry was ordered into the incident.

“The state is already grappling with problems like unemployment, financial crisis, delay in employees’ pension and arrears of DA allowance and at such a time, ordering a CID inquiry on samosas brought for Chief Minister Sukhu is very disappointing,” Mr Sharma said in a Facebook post in Hindi.

He said when the people of the hill state are fighting for their rights, the government should focus on real issues and not on such small matters.

“In protest against this, I have sent 11 samosas to the chief minister, so that I can remind him that it is more important to solve the real problems of the people,” he added.

On October 21, Mr Sukhu had gone to attend a programme at the CID headquarters in Shimla, where samosas and cakes brought for the chief minister were served to his staff instead.

Subsequently, CID officials ordered an inquiry into the episode. A noting by a senior official on the inquiry report said the act was anti-government and anti-CID.

Sudhir Sharma, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Dharamshala, in a statement, said the Congress government has made Himachal Pradesh a laughing stock in the country.

Both the MLAs are known critics of Mr Sukhu. They were among the nine legislators, including Congress rebels and Independent MLAs, who had voted against the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls earlier in the year. They later joined the BJP and won bypolls.

State BJP vice-president and Kangra MP Rajiv Bhardwaj asked what was inside the box, along with the samosas, that prompted the government to order an enquiry.

The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, distributed samosas in Shimla on Saturday and raised slogans against the government for ignoring serious issues and probing petty matters.

State BJYM president Tilak Raj said people are unhappy with the government, educated and unemployed youngsters do not have jobs, but the CID is probing non-serving of samosas.

He claimed that the law-and-order situation has deteriorated in the state, drug abuse is on the rise among youngsters, including school-going children, of the 1,170 youngsters in the age group of 15-30 years admitted at rehabilitation centres, 35 per cent are “chitta” addicts, but the government is not bothered.

State BJP media in-charge Karan Nanda said the government has failed on all fronts. Himachal Pradesh, which was known as “dev bhoomi”, is in news for all the wrong reasons, such as toilet tax, freight tax and and an inquiry into samosas, he said.

On the other hand, Congress leaders accused the BJP of raising the controversy only to harass the chief minister politically.

A Congress spokesperson said the BJP is bent upon harming the cause of the state government.

Naresh Chauhan, media advisor to the chief minister, said the state government did not order any such inquiry and it could be an internal matter of the CID, a stance maintained by the agency as well.

Mr Sukhu had on Friday said the probe was into the “misbehaviour” of officials but the media presented it as an enquiry into missing samosas and claimed that the BJP has been running a smear campaign against the Congress government since his party secured a majority in the Assembly election.

Reiterating that it was an internal matter, CID Director General Ranjhan Ojha said in Shimla on Friday, “The chief minister was the chief guest at the launch of a data centre for the cyber-crime wing. After the event, the officials were having tea in the office when someone asked where were the eatables brought for the function and we said — ‘pata karo kya hua‘ (find out what happened).” “Neither have we issued any notice nor called for any explanation. The matter should not be politicised. We simply asked for a clarification as to what happened and a written report was submitted. We have no intention of taking action against anyone.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Five police officers face a CID probe, likely to lead to disciplinary action, after consuming samosas meant for Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Mr Sukhu clarified on Friday that the probe was into “misbehaviour” of officials but the media is presenting it as an enquiry into the missing samosas.

Reiterating that it was an internal matter, CID Director General Ranjhan Ojha said in Shimla, “Officials were having tea in the office when someone asked where were the eatables brought for the function and we said, ‘pata karo kya hua‘ (find out what happened). Neither have we issued any notice nor have we called for any explanation. The matter should not be politicised. We simply asked for clarification as to what happened, and a written report was submitted. We have no intention of taking action against anyone.”

What Exactly Happened?

The investigation report details that an Inspector General (IG) officer asked a sub-inspector to procure food from a five star hotel in Shimla’s Lakkar Bazaar for the chief minister’s program. Following this order, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a head constable driver retrieved three boxes of samosas and cake, handing them over to a woman officer of Inspector rank. This officer, unaware of the items’ intended recipient, instructed for the boxes to be placed in a senior officer’s room, where they were then moved between rooms.

When questioned, the officers involved claimed that they had confirmed with tourism department personnel on duty, who reportedly stated that the items in the boxes were not on the CM’s menu. The investigation further noted that an MTO (Motor Transport Officer) and HASI (Head Assistant Sub-Inspector) were assigned to manage refreshments like tea and paan for the CM’s staff. According to her statement, the woman Inspector was not informed that the items inside the boxes were meant for the CM. Without opening the boxes, she directed them to the MT section.

The IG’s orderly, HASI, testified that the boxes were opened by a sub-inspector and a head constable and intended for the DSP and staff in the IG’s office. Following these instructions, the food was served with tea to approximately 10-12 people in the room.

Based on statements from those involved, the CID report indicates that only a sub-inspector was aware that the boxes contained refreshments for the CM. Nevertheless, these boxes, overseen by a woman Inspector, were ultimately passed to the MT section without higher clearance, and the items were inadvertently served to the CM’s staff instead.

BJP-Congress Spar Over Issue

The BJP said the state government has become a “laughing stock”, while Mr Sukhu called the rival party’s conduct over the issue “childish”. Taking a dig at a CID inquiry on the October 21 incident, former union minister Smriti Irani said there was no probe when Congress leaders “looted” the country’s exchequer. Leaders also slammed the state government “misplaced priorities” for giving importance to the missing samosas while ignoring people’s problems.

Meawnwhile, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Jai Ram Thakur ate samosas with party workers, alleging the Himachal Pradesh government takes decisions without applying its mind and then tries to change them when they become a matter of joke. “The opposition has not eaten those samosas, those who were served those samosas were a part of the government, so how could the act be anti-government?” Thakur said in a video statement issued in Shimla.

नेता प्रतिपक्ष एवं पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री श्री जयराम ठाकुर जी ने मंडी में भाजपा पदाधिकारियों व कार्यकर्ताओं के साथ स्नेहशील भेंट की और समोसों का आनंद भी उठाया। pic.twitter.com/7JKDHFHM8G

— BJP Himachal Pradesh (@BJP4Himachal) November 8, 2024

Jalebis Took Centrestage Last Month

The BJP-Congress exchange over samosas comes a month after jalebis came to the spotlight as the BJP send the sweet to Congress’ headquarters as the saffron party secured a victory in Haryana Assembly elections.

This came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had shown a box of ‘Matu Ram Halwai’ jalebis at an election rally in Gohana on October 3to criticise the BJP’s business policies. He said the jalebis should be sold nationwide and exported to generate employment.

New Delhi:

Amid a row over a CID probe over samosas and cake that was meant for him being mistakenly served to his staff, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday provided a clarification over the alleged “anti-government” action stating that the probe was into an issue of misbehaviour.

Mr Sukhu told ANI, “There is no such thing… It (CID) got involved on the issue of misbehaviour, but you (the media) are running news about ‘samosa’.”

Further, Sanjeev Ranjan Ojha, Deputy General CID said that it was an internal matter of the CID and should not be politicised.

Mr Ojha said, “This is completely an internal matter of the CID. It should not be politicised. The Chief Minister does not eat samosas… We have not given notice to anyone. We have just said we want to find out what happened. The government has nothing to do with this… We will find out how this information was leaked.”

Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition Jairam Thakur wanted to know how the issue was termed an anti-government activity.

Jairam Thakur said, “Nowadays, the way the government takes decisions in Himachal Pradesh has become a topic of discussion in the whole country because decisions are taken without thinking. Now another topic that is being discussed is that the samosas did not reach where they should have reached, they got lost in the middle and the Chief Minister and the Himachal Pradesh government felt that this is a very serious matter and an investigation should be done on this”.

“It was also said that this is an anti-government activity. The people who ate it must have been part of the government. How is this anti-government activity? Unfortunately, decisions are being taken without thinking,” the BJP leader said.

The Himachal Pradesh CID has launched an investigation to determine how samosas and cake intended for Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu were mistakenly served to his staff. A senior officer in the report described this act as an “anti-government” act condemning it as an offence against the intended respect for the VVIP’s presence.

The report added that those involved appeared to be “acting according to their own agenda.”

The alleged incident, which took place on October 21 during a program at the CID headquarters, led to a full inquiry by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). The inquiry sought to understand which officers and staff members were responsible for the oversight.

The Chief Minister visited the CID headquarters to inaugurate the Cyber wing’s new Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System (CFCFRMS) station. However, instead of the Chief Minister, the samosas and cake were served to his staff, sparking an internal CID investigation. DGP Atul Verma said that the matter is being investigated by the CID and not by the police headquarters.

The investigation report details that an Inspector General (IG) officer asked a sub-inspector to procure food from a five-star hotel in Shimla’s Lakkar Bazaar for the Chief Minister’s program. Following this order, an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) and a head constable driver retrieved three boxes of samosas and cake, handing them over to a woman officer of Inspector rank. This officer, unaware of the items’ intended recipient, instructed for the boxes to be placed in a senior officer’s room, where they were then moved between rooms.

When questioned, the officers involved claimed that they had confirmed with tourism department personnel on duty, who reportedly stated that the items in the boxes were not on the CM’s menu. The investigation further noted that an MTO (Motor Transport Officer) and HASI (Head Assistant Sub-Inspector) were assigned to manage refreshments like tea and paan for the Chief Minister’s staff. According to her statement, the woman Inspector was not informed that the items inside the boxes were meant for the Chief Minister. Without opening the boxes, she directed them to the MT section.

The IG’s orderly, HASI, testified that the boxes were opened by a sub-inspector and a head constable and intended for the DSP and staff in the IG’s office. Following these instructions, the food was served with tea to approximately 10-12 people in the room.

Based on statements from those involved, the CID report indicates that only a sub-inspector was aware that the boxes contained refreshments for the Chief Minister. Nevertheless, these boxes, overseen by a woman Inspector, were ultimately passed to the MT section without higher clearance, and the items were inadvertently served to the Chief Minister’s staff instead.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari commented, “The situation in Himachal Pradesh is such that the Chief Minister does not have money to pay his own salary, there is no money to pay the Chief Secretary, there is no money to pay the MLAs. This shows that the financial condition of the state has become terrible due to Rahul Gandhi’s Khata-khat model and this is Rahul Gandhi’s guarantee model and his economic thinking has been exposed.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Shimla:

A matter of refreshments getting served to the staff of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu instead of the chief minister by mistake has assumed disproportionate dimensions following a CID probe that termed the goof up an “anti-government” act.

Due to a lack of coordination, three boxes of samosas and cakes were brought from Hotel Radisson Blue in Lakkar Bazaar to be served to the chief minister who had gone to the CID headquarters for a function on October 21. However, the eatables were served to the CM security staff, according to the enquiry report conducted by a deputy SP rank officer.

The report stated that an officer of IG rank had asked a sub-inspector (SI) of police to get some eatables from the hotel for the CM’s visit. The SI in turn directed an assistant SI (ASI) and a head constable to bring the refreshments.

The ASI and the head constable fetched the refreshments from the hotel in three sealed boxes and informed the SI.

The police officers in their statement said when they asked the tourism department staff on duty whether the snacks in the three boxes were to be served to the chief minister, they said they were not included in the menu.

The enquiry report said only the said SI, who deputed the ASI and the head constable with the task of getting the snacks from the hotel, was aware of the fact that the three boxes were for Sukhu.

The lady inspector, to whom the food items were handed over, did not ask any senior officer and sent the refreshments to the mechanical transport (MT) section which deals with refreshments.

Interestingly, a highly placed official in the CID department wrote in his note that all persons named in the enquiry report have acted in an anti-CID and anti-government manner due to which the items could not be served to the VVIPs.

They acted according to their agenda, the note added. PT

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Shimla:

Amid uproar over reports that people in Himachal Pradesh will now be taxed on the number of toilet seats they have in their homes, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that there was no such “toilet tax” in the state. 

Reports claimed that the Himachal government will impose a Rs 25 tax per toilet seat on residents of urban areas. The reports, termed “baseless” by Mr Sukhu, said that out of Rs 100 water charge, the ‘toilet tax’ will be 25 per cent per residence.

“Before the (assembly) elections, the BJP held a rally in Himachal Pradesh where they promised free water meters, saying there would be no charge for water consumption. We proposed a subsidy of Rs 100 per family for water, which included five-star hotels as well. Only those who can afford it are paying. There is no such thing as toilet tax,” the senior Congress leader told reporters.

“Even big hotel chains have been brought under the purview of this new tax. Those questioning the move must understand the economics first,” he was quoted as saying by the news agency IANS.

His reaction came after various BJP leaders, including Union Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, slammed the Congress government.

“Unbelievable, if true! Whilst PM (Narendra) Modi ji builds Swachhata as a people’s movement, here is Congress taxing people for toilets! Shame that they didn’t provide good sanitation during their time, but this step will shame the country,” Nirmala Sitharaman said in a post on X.

BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh also slammed Congress and said the Himachal government is “continuously imposing new taxes and restrictions on the people”. 

“This is a reflection of the Himachal government’s economic bankruptcy, policy bankruptcy and mental bankruptcy,” he told the news agency IANS.

New Delhi:
INDIA bloc candidate and Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s wife Kamlesh Thakur won the Dehra assembly bypoll in Himachal Pradesh today, making a successful debut in electoral politics.

5 Facts About Kamlesh Thakur:

After the six Congress MLAs switched sides to the BJP in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that all the defecting MLAs will be behind bars soon.

While addressing an election rally in Shimla Sukhu said that the government will run for three and a half more years, and will repeat in 2027. He said that after June 1 the people of the state will teach a lesson to the “corrupt people”.

The left-wing CPI(M) leaders also shared a stage with Congress in Shimla during the election rally in Shimla which was held in favour of the Congress candidate after nomination.

The Congress Party candidate from the Shimla parliamentary seat Vinod Sultanpuri filed nomination papers in the presence of CM Sukhu today.

After this, while addressing the public meeting at Chaura maidan, the Chief Minister launched a fierce attack on the rebel legislators who had rebelled against the Congress and joined the BJP.

Addressing the public meeting, Mr Sukhu said that six tainted leaders of the Congress Party were sold out by money power and rebelled against the party. Sukhu said that after presenting the budget 2024-25, all the tainted leaders praised the government, but when they were allured by the BJP with money, they were sold in the political market and ran away to Panchkula to get the second instalment.

“Congress has the power of the people. This fight is not to save the government or the post of Chief Minister, but to teach a lesson to those corrupt people and also to save the constitution and democracy. BJP leaders had conspired to topple the government through money and this election will decide the future politics,” he added.

Chief Minister Sukhu said that the people of Himachal Pradesh will give a befitting reply to the politics of horse trading by defeating the BJP in these elections and setting an example for the entire country.

He said that the BJP has stolen one Rajya Sabha seat, but the people of the state will give all four Lok Sabha seats to Congress. “All these corrupt people will be put behind bars. Sukhu Sarkar will run for three and a half more years. After this, part two of the government will be repeated in the year 2027,” he added.

Elections to four Lok Sabha seats in Himachal Pradesh along with assembly by-polls, following the disqualification of six rebel Congress MLAs, will be held on June 1 in the last phase of polling.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hamirpur/Shimla:

The six disqualified Congress MLAs in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday said they will file a defamation case against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and threatened to “expose” him.

In a joint statement, the six disqualified Congress MLAs and three Independent lawmakers said they have decided to file a defamation case against Mr Sukhu and the chief minister will be liable to prove the allegations he has made against them.

The six Congress MLAs, who had abstained from voting on a cut motion and finance bill (Budget) in the assembly, were disqualified for defying a party whip to be present in the House and vote in favour of the government.

Disqualified Congress MLAs Rajendra Rana, Ravi Thakur, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Chetanya Sharma and Devinder Kumar Bhutto and Independent lawmakers KL Thakur, Hoshiyar Singh and Ashish Sharma said they will tell the public how they were humiliated during the past 14 months and development works in their constituencies stopped.

They alleged that Mr Sukhu has become nervous as power is slipping out of his hands and he is fearful that his “deeds” will be exposed if he loses power.

They also said the government shut the doors on unemployed youngsters, the Congress manifesto was thrown into the dustbin and “favourites” are being rewarded even during an acute financial crisis.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)