Protest Against Moharram Gate: UP MLA’s father refuses to end sit-in

Health of Uday Pratap, 89, who belongs to the Bhadri estate of Pratapgarh, deteriorated on Wednesday night as the octogenarian refused food and medicines too.

The protest against a temporary gate put up by Muslims during Moharram month continued at the Kunda tehsil in Pratapgarh on Thursday, with Uday Pratap Singh, father of Kunda MLA Raja Bhaiyya, refusing to end the stir until his demand was met.

Officials trying to convince Uday Pratap Singh to call off his protest at Kunda tehsil in Pratapgarh against a temporary gate put up by Muslims during Moharram (HT photo)

Condition of Uday Pratap, 89, who belongs to the Bhadri estate of Pratapgarh, deteriorated on Wednesday night as the octogenarian refused food and medicines too. A team from Kunda’s community health centre was rushed for a medical examination, in which Uday Pratap’s blood pressure readings were lower than normal, officials said.

District Magistrate Nitin Bansal, superintendent of police, Satpal Antil and other senior officials of the district also reached the spot on Wednesday night to placate Uday Pratap, who however refused to budge from his stand. He however, later had his dinner and medicine but refused to lift his stir, that continued on Thursday, when Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Adhivakta Sangh and traders also joined in his support.

“I will continue with the sit-in, till the temporary gate is removed,” said Uday Pratap, whose father Raja Bajrang Bahadur Singh was the founder vice-chancellor of Pant Nagar Agriculture University and later the second governor of Himachal Pradesh state.