Black paint smeared on king Mihir Bhoj’s plaque in Noida, case registered

A case has been registered against unknown persons under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot) of the IPC

Police have registered a case against unidentified persons for allegedly smearing black paint on a plaque of ninth-century king Mihir Bhoj in Noida’s Mamoora village in Sector 66. The plaque bore the writing ‘Gurjar Samrat Mihir Bhoj’before it was defaced.

Members of the Gurjar community installed the plaque at Lane Number 7 at Mamoora village in Noida’s Sector 66. (Sourced)

Ravindra Bhati, national vice-president of Akhil Bhartiya Gurjar Parishad, said members of the Gurjar community installed the plaque at Lane Number 7 in Noida’s Sector 66 on October 11. “The locals found the board smeared with black paint on Thursday. The act has hurt the sentiments of the Gurjar community. Anti-social elements have done this to spread communal hatred,” he said.

Bhati said that he has filed a complaint at Phase 3 police station and demanded action. “We have also called a maha panchayat at Mihir Bhoj Degree College in Dadri on October 31 to discuss the issue,” he said, adding that members of the Gurjar community will launch a campaign demanding actionif the suspects are not arrested.

Some people also shared photos of the defaced board on social media, following which police launched an investigation. Virendra Singh, senior sub-inspector at Phase 3 police station, said a case has been registered against unknown persons under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation, with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code. “The plaque has been restored to its original form. We have launched a search to arrest suspects involved in the case,” he said.

The Gurjar community has been protesting against the removal of their caste’s name from the plaque installed below the statue. The community leaders maintain that the king belonged to the Gurjar community. The Rajput community has also claimed that the ninth-century king belonged to their caste. “They are distorting history without any basis. We cannot let it happen. We have called a panchayat on this issue to fight for justice,” said Prithivi Singh, national secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha.

On September 28, some people smeared black paint over Adityanath’s name and that of other BJP leaders on the plaque as a mark of protest. Ramchandra Verma, secretary of Gurjar Vidya Sabha, a trust which manages the Dadri college, filed a complaint against unknown persons after the incident and 150 people were booked.