Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid homage to the martyrs of the Khatima firing incident at the Shaheed Smarak in Khatima. He remembered Bhagwan Singh Sirola, Pratap Singh, Rampal, Saleem Ahmad, Gopichand, Dharmanand Bhatt, and Paramjeet Singh, who sacrificed their lives during the statehood movement. Families of martyrs Nanak Singh, Narendra Chand, Jagat Singh, Anil Bhatt, and Sharif Ahmad were honoured with shawls.
Dhami said the Khatima firing of 1 September 1994 inspired people to continue the fight for Uttarakhand’s rights. The state government has implemented 10% horizontal reservation in jobs for movement activists, along with pensions of Rs 3,000 for families of martyrs, Rs 6,000 for those injured or jailed, and Rs 4,500 for active activists. So far, 93 activists have been employed in government service, while free bus travel and ID cards are being provided.
Highlighting reforms, Dhami said Uttarakhand became the first state to implement the Uniform Civil Code and enacted the country’s strongest anti-copying law, helping over 24,000 youths secure jobs. Strict anti-conversion and anti-riot laws have also been enforced, with over 7,000 acres of encroached land freed. He administered the oath of “Save Himalaya Campaign” to the public.
He further announced that divorced, widowed, and abandoned daughters of recognized activists will also benefit from reservation. Acknowledging women’s key role in the statehood movement, Dhami said 30% horizontal reservation for women in government jobs has been implemented to honour their contribution.
The event was attended by MP Ajay Bhatt, District Panchayat President Ajay Maurya, MLA Bhuvan Kapri, Municipal Chairman Ramesh Chand Joshi, Block Chief Sarita Rana, Dr. Anil Kapoor Dabbou, Subhash Barthwal, Mohini Pokhriya, Farzana Begum, Randeep Pokhariya, Nandan Khadayat, Amit Pandey, Santosh Gaurav, and others.
