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New Delhi: November 9th is no ordinary day, but a day of dreams, struggle, and sacrifice for millions of hill people. On November 9th, in the year 2000, today’s Uttarakhand, then known as Uttaranchal, became India’s 27th state. But the significant fact is that the foundation of this new state was laid not by mere political decisions, but by the pain and injustice that the country witnessed in 1994 in the form of the “Muzaffarnagar incident” and the “Rampur Tiraha firing incident.” At that time, Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, and the Rampur Tiraha incident is known as a dark chapter of his rule. Read the story of the Muzaffarnagar incident in this article.
Why did the demand for a separate state arise in the hilly region?
This was at a time when Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand were not separate states. In those days, the people of Uttaranchal, the hilly region of Uttar Pradesh, had been demanding a separate state for a long time. They alleged that development in the mountains remained confined to paper, roads were broken, schools lacked teachers, hospitals lacked doctors, and jobs were limited to the plains. They demanded that only the people of the mountains could understand the problems of the mountains. Therefore, a separate state for Uttaranchal was necessary.
Firing on unarmed protesters at Rampur Tiraha
October 2, 1994, Gandhi Jayanti, arrived. Thousands of protesters marched from the hills to Delhi, peacefully raising their voices in the capital. When this convoy reached Muzaffarnagar, a dark chapter in history was written. When the UP police stopped them at the Rampur Tiraha in Muzaffarpur, clashes broke out. Stone-throwing ensued, injuring several policemen. Police then resorted to lathi-charge to control the situation and later opened fire on the unarmed protesters. Seven people were killed and several others seriously injured in the incident. The firing incident at Rampur Tiraha ignited a fire of rebellion in the heart of the hills.
When the voice of protest echoed in every home of the hills!
The Muzaffarnagar incident became the turning point for the movement demanding a separate state from Uttar Pradesh. A wave of anger swept through every home and village of the hills. Students, women, and children took to the streets. Gradually, the movement intensified, and slogans like “Our mountains, our state!” were heard in every district of the hills.
Finally, the hills got their own separate state.
After years of struggle and protests, the dream of Uttaranchal, then known as Uttaranchal, finally came true on November 9, 2000, under the government of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The rays of a new dawn gave the hills the identity of the new state of Uttaranchal. However, its name was later changed to Uttarakhand.
Today, Uttarakhand Foundation Day is celebrated, along with remembering those who laid the foundation of this state with their blood. This day reminds us that change always begins with a small spark. Sometimes these small sparks create history.
