Shimla, Aug 19: Police lodged an FIR against former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh and seven other Congress leaders in connection with the violence that broke out over enlisting the support of a lone independent MLA who held the key to ministry formation in Himachal Pradesh following a fractured mandate four and half years ago. Besides Singh, now leader of the opposition, the FIR was filed Saturday against Congress MLSs Harsh Mahajan, Asha Kumari, Viplov Thakur, Chander Kumar and G S Bali and Sagar Prashar and Ajay Sharma charging them with hatching a conspiracy to abduct independent MLA Ramesh Dhawala to secure his support to form the government. The support of Romesh Dhawala, now irrigation and public health minister in P K Dhumal cabinet, had become crucial for ministry-making as rival contenders for power congress and BJP-Himachal Vikas Congress Alliance, tied with 32 MLAs each, could reach majority mark in the hung house. The FIR was lodged on the basis of an one-member inquiry commission report constituted by BJP-led government in September 1999. The report was submitted on Dec 31,2001.
The 25-page report of the commission had severely indicted the eight leaders for the violent incidents near Ghora Chowki bus stand and PWD rest house near Raj Bhawan between March four and March 12, 1998.

Bureau Report