Senior citizens adopt Gandhigiri in Agra

Inspired by the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai, over a hundred elderly men and women from Tamil Nadu tried Gandhigiri in Agra.

Inspired by the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai, over a hundred elderly men and women from Tamil Nadu tried Gandhigiri — the newly coined metaphor for Gandhian-style peaceful protest — a la Munna Bhai on a highway in this Taj Mahal town.

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When they reached Agra on Tuesday evening from Mathura after a pilgrimage trip, policemen held up the senior citizens on the road citing security concerns on account of civic polls.

But the men and women noticed that the very same policemen, who were on election duty, were letting all other vehicles except theirs go past the barrier.

Inspired by Munna Bhai, the old women lined up on the road first — like a rock solid wall — and stopped an ambassador car occupied by a seemingly high-ranking official.

Even as the official pleaded helplessness, the Tamil men and women, who were visibly tired, hungry and angry, told him that they were fed up with the endless wait on the road and the attitude of the policemen.

They told him they were being treated like "terrorists" for no reason.

After heated discussions, the police eventually gave in and let their vehicle go past the barrier to their destination. They were reportedly lodged at a dharamshala in the Raja ki Mandi area of Agra.