(MENAFN- IANS) Muzaffarnagar, Oct 2 (IANS) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday paid tribute to the martyrs of the statehood movement at a ceremony organised at Shaheed Sthal, Rampur Tiraha in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar.

The tribute marked the memory of those who lost their lives in the tragic police firing incident of October 2, 1994, during the agitation for a separate state.

The Rampur Tiraha firing refers to the unprovoked police firing on unarmed statehood activists at Rampur Tiraha crossing in Muzaffarnagar, when activists were on their way to Delhi to stage a dharna at Raj Ghat on Gandhi Jayanti.

The incident led to the deaths of six activists, while several women were raped and molested in the chaos. At the time, Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Addressing the event, CM Dhami said, "I pay tribute to the immortal martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the formation of Uttarakhand: Ravindra Rawat, Satinder Chauhan, Girish Bhadhri, Rajesh Lakhera, Surya Prakash Thapliyal, Ashok Keshav, Rajesh Negi, and others. Remembering the atrocities they faced makes the spirit of every Uttarakhand resident shudder."

Calling the Rampur Tiraha firing the "most brutal incident" of the statehood movement, he added, "Even today, the memory of that brutal firing incident and the assault on women's dignity sends shivers down the spine of every Uttarakhand resident."

Lashing out at the then Samajwadi Party government, CM Dhami accused it of committing atrocities against peaceful protestors.

"The ones responsible for protecting the public, the public representatives, crossed all limits of violence. The way the SP government committed atrocities on peaceful protestors, those wounds are still fresh in the heart of every Uttarakhand resident," he said.

The Chief Minister also recalled other incidents of police firing during the agitation. Referring to the incidents of Khatima (September 1, 1994) and Mussoorie (September 2, 1994), he said, "The way the then government tried to suppress the protests is unforgettable."

Speaking to reporters after the events, he said October 2, 1994, would always be written in "black letters" in the history of Uttarakhand.

"It will always remind us how our martyrs, our mothers and sisters, sacrificed their lives for the self-respect of Uttarakhand. It will remind us how much they struggled, and future generations will remember this as well," he said.

He emphasised that the formation of Uttarakhand was only possible due to the sacrifices and struggles of the movement activists.

"Our government remains continuously committed to the welfare of the activists and the families of the martyrs, and is taking every possible step to protect their interests and honour," he added.

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