Police finally swooped on Sita Devi Bisht - a villager from Maletha Gram Sabha- who had been on hunger-strike under the banner of Maletha Sangarsh Samiti for the past 10 days - and go admitted at the Base Hospital Srikot in Srinagar Garhwal in Pauri district on Friday. Police crackdown came at the behest of   Kritinagar Tehsil administration. Sita Devi had been on fast since 20 January, demanding the State Government to issue an order to cancel the operation of stone crushers in Maletha and its adjoining areas.

Her health condition turned a cause of worry as she was fast losing weight. Resolved to stop things before something more serious happened, Kritinagar (Tehri distrct) Sub- District Magistrate along with police force arrived at the sit-in venue in the early morning, lifted her and admitted her to Base hospital Srinagar.

However, the void caused by administrative/police crackdown proved a short-lived one as Sameer Raturi of Himalaya Bachao Movement started indefinite hunger strike at the site soon after the operation. The stir that includes sit-in and relay hunger strike being staged by the villagers started on 22 December 2014.  However, Sita Devi’s hunger strike began on 20 January. 

Member of Parliament Maj Gen (Rtd) Bhuwan Chhandra  Khanuri had visited the hunger strike site and threw  his full weight behind it  on Thursday. He asked the District Magistrate Tehri  to convey the message of the stir  to the Chief Minister. He also assured the agitators that he would  do everything to take the demand to the appropriate places. 

Former Uttarakhand  minister Dewakar Bhatt also turned up  at the site at  Maletha and lent his full support to the agitation the same day. He said the agitation would intensify if the demands are not met by the State Government by Friday. The Sangarsh Samiti Maletha said that the sanction for  the stone crushers amount  to violation of the rules and their agitation would continue despite everything till the Government issues orders cancelling their operation.