Date:24/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/24/stories/2008062460250700.htm

National

Probe sought into Gazetteer ‘burning’

Staff Correspondent

SHIMLA: Former Minister Vijay Singh Mankotia has demanded a probe into alleged burning of the original Gazetteer of Kinnaur district by the then Virbhadra Singh Government in Himachal Pradesh.

In a letter to the Governor, V. S. Kokje, and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Mr. Mankotia, now the State convenor of Bahujan Samaj Party, has accused the former Chief Minister of Constitutional impropriety and distortion of history by using the word “Maharaja” as title instead of “Raja” for the erstwhile ruler of his ancestral State of Rampur Bashahar.

Mr. Mankotia said the Governor himself had inaugurated last week the “15th Maharaja Padam Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament” in Rohru, the political constituency of Mr. Virbhadra Singh, in memory of late ruler of Bashahar State. He said this was twisting of history and ‘corruption’ of conferred titles to the rulers of hill principalities.

While mocking at Virbhadra Singh’s yearning to be called a “Raja”, he said no real “Maharajas” like Dr. Karan Singh, Capt. Amarinder Singh or Brigadier Bhiwani Singh use this ascribed title. The local newspapers were full of advertisements and praises while congratulating the Raja Sahib on his birthday.

Mr. Mankotia, who is also a scion of an erstwhile royal family but never uses any title, said it was during the period 1983-1989 when

Virbhadra Singh was the Chief Minister, that an order was issued to the Controller of Printing and Stationery, Government of Himachal Pradesh, for printing of fresh copies of the Shimla Gazetteer and withdraw all copies of the earlier Gazetteer of Kinnaur printed in 1971.

Demanding a probe, he said it should be determined whether certain portions relating to the lineage of Bashahar were allegedly sought to be tampered with and subtly deleted. The Printing and Stationery Department printed at least a thousand new copies of a fresh gazetteer with portions deleted from Page 63 of Chapter II. “This,” he said, “amounts to criminal conspiracy and unlawful offence of tampering with official government documents.”