New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday paid tribute to the statehood movement activists who were killed in the Khatima firing incident, saying Uttarakhand was the result of the sustained struggle and sacrifices of those who fought for a separate state.

Dhami attended a tribute programme in Khatima, where he offered floral tributes at the statues of the martyrs and honoured their families with angavastrams. He remembered Bhagwan Singh Sirola, Pratap Singh, Rampal, Salim Ahmed, Gopichand, Dharmanand Bhatt and Paramjit Singh, saying their sacrifice would remain an important part of Uttarakhand's history.

The chief minister described Khatima as a significant centre of the statehood movement and said the events a...