Chinyalisaur civic row: Chairman, councillor stage parallel protests

UTTARKASHI: A dispute between councillors and the municipal chairman in Chinyalisaur escalated on Wednesday, with chairman Manoj Kohli climbing atop the Arc Bridge in the rain and staging a prolonged protest.Going live on social media from the bridge, Kohli termed the councillors’ sit-in “sponsored” and a “conspiracy,” and opposed the transfer of the municipality’s executive officer (EO). The situation intensified when councillor Siddharth Nautiyal, accusing the chairman of “pressure politics,” climbed onto the roof of a local college building.The high-voltage standoff drew widespread attention on social media. Nautiyal climbed down after about two hours, while Kohli remained atop the bridge for nearly eight and a half hours before descending following assurances from officials.The confrontation stems from recent allegations by councillors, who accused Kohli of sidelining them and engaging in corruption in municipal works. Their four-day protest ended on Tuesday after intervention by district in-charge minister Saurabh Bahuguna, who assured that EO Virendra Panwar would be attached to the Directorate and that an inquiry committee would be set up to probe the allegations.Objecting to these developments, Kohli climbed the bridge around 8am on Wednesday and insisted that the charges against him were baseless. He also said the controversy over posters during Bahuguna’s visit had been exaggerated, maintaining that permissions were granted as per rules.While stating he was ready to face any inquiry, Kohli opposed what he called “malicious propaganda” and demanded that district magistrate Prashant Arya visit the spot with the inquiry panel. He also objected to the EO’s transfer, alleging coercion and humiliation, and said any probe should be conducted on site.Officials, including SDM Dunda Devanand Sharma, attempted to persuade him to come down. Around 1pm, Arya spoke to Kohli over the phone via a police loudhailer but failed to convince him.The standoff ended around 4.30pm when Kohli climbed down after Sharma assured an impartial inquiry and said the EO would not be relieved of duties until the probe was completed.