Retired Brigadier's Murder Shows Law & Order Collapsed In Uttarakhand: Rahul Gandhi

Dehradun: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted the Uttarakhand government over the death of a retired Brigadier in a crossfire in Dehradun a day before. Taking to the social media platform X, Gandhi said only criminals are fearless and safe under the BJP's rule.

"The brutal daylight murder of retired Brigadier VK Joshi during his morning walk in Dehradun clearly shows that Uttarakhand's law and order has completely collapsed," he wrote.

He further said those who dedicated their lives to defending the nation at the borders are today unsafe within their own city. Ordinary citizens and various communities are forced to live in fear.

"Our Uttarakhand — once synonymous with peace and security — has today, under the irresponsible leadership of the BJP, been reduced to living under the shadow of violence, murder, and fear," he added to the post.

Joshi was shot on Monday during the crossfire between two groups following a dispute over a bill at a nightclub, police said. Four people, including the nightclub owner, have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Johri village on Mussoorie Road in the Rajpur area, SSP Pramendra Dobhal said.

Former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat, who is currently observing a 15-day political sabbatical, asked, "How have we become so short-tempered and violent?"

"You may be detached from politics. But you cannot be detached from your heart and soul. The circumstances in which Retired Most Decorated Soldier Brigadier Mukesh Kumar Joshi ji was killed — that is not just his death alone, but also the murder of the Dehradun that is taking shape with a new middle-class ethos," he said.

Rawat added that Rajpur Road, which was once the preferred choice of the country's enlightened elite, has nearly been pushed to the brink of death. "Now we are also murdering the middle-class Dehradun that is settling in Johri and the surrounding villages. The brazen game of drugs and crime unfolding in this area, the flourishing of a degenerate culture —this should concern every Uttarakhandi," he said.

"We want progress, but not such high-speed progress that shatters our dreams. I am glad that newspapers have also deemed this incident highly concerning and given it ample space in their pages. We are all aware. We must save our state from drugs, carnal pleasures, and gangster culture. Brigadier Joshi ji's death is the sacrifice of a glorious martyr," the veteran Congress leader said.

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