Mihir Bhoj row: Over 600 booked for organising mahapanchayat in Dadri

Police said that the organisers of the mahapanchayat were not given permission to hold any such event.

More than 600 people, who participated in a mahapanchayat in Dadri on Sunday over the issue related to the statue of ninth-century king Mihir Bhoj, were booked for allegedly violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Police said that the organisers of the mahapanchayat were not given permission to hold any such event.

Gurjar leaders claimed that about 2,000 people participated in the mahapanchayat. (Sourced)

Leaders of the Gurjar community, who have launched a ‘Gurjar Swabhiman Bachao’ movement, called for a mahapanchayat at the Mihir Bhoj Degree College in Dadri where Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had unveiled a statue of king Mihir Bhoj on September 22. However, they were not allowed to organise the meeting there. The people then held the mahapanchayat at a temple in Chithera village, some 3km away, between 11am and 3pm.

The Gurjar community has been protesting the removal of the caste’s name from the plaque installed below the 15-foot statue of the ninth-century ruler. The community leaders have maintained that king Mihir Bhoj was a Gurjar.

Shyam Singh Bhati, GB Nagar president of Akhil Bharatiya Veer Gurjar Mahasabha, who organised the mahapanchayat, said that some people deliberately removed the word ‘Gurjar’ from the plaque of the statue. “The Gurjar community’s sentiment was hurt, and we called a meeting on Sunday over the issue,” he said.

Bhati said that the community leaders have given one week for the administration to add the word ‘Gurjar’ to the plaque, or they will intensify their protest in different parts of the state. He also said that about 2,000 people from Delhi, Gurugram, and other NCR cities participated in the event at Chithera village.

Pramendra Singh Bhati, another Gurjar leader, said that the plaque should be replaced with a new one having ‘Gurjar’ written on it as soon as possible. “If they do not replace the plaque, we will continue our protest,” he said.

On Sunday, there was a heavy deployment of police personnel at the degree college in Dadri. Police officials said that more than 250 people were detained for illegally organising a meeting.

Pradeep Tripathi, station house officer, Dadri police station, said a case was registered against 150 named and 500 unnamed people under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), and sections 269 and 270 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code. “All the people were released in the evening,” he said.

Abhishek, deputy commissioner of police, Greater Noida, said that there is an enforcement of CrPC Section 144 in the district and a gathering is not allowed. “We detained some people who were trying to organise a meeting at the college. Some people were also detained from Chithera village,” he said.

Police on Tuesday arrested two persons for allegedly damaging posters with photos of king Mihir Bhoj, CM Adityanath, Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar, among others in Dadri. A case was also registered against nearly 100 people for blocking road and protesting over the issue on September 22, the day the CM had visited Dadri.