MP: In support of Balochistan, they smash ‘handi’ in Pak flag colours

On the occasion of Janmashtami, villagers in Ranpur in Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Jhabua found a unique way of bonding with the people of Balochistan in their struggle for independence from Pakistan.

On the occasion of Janmashtami, villagers in Ranpur in Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Jhabua found a unique way of bonding with the people of Balochistan in their struggle for independence from Pakistan.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks on Balochistan freedom movement during his Independence Day speech, tribes people in the village painted a dahi handi–an earthen pot– in the colours of the Pakistani national flag and smashed it to show the “symbolic” destruction of Pakistan and an independent Balochistan.

The event took place at the Shivaji square of the village on Thursday on the occasion of Janmasthami.

Villagers strung up the dahi handi painted in the colours of the Pakistani flag at a height and then formed a human pyramid and smashed the pot in which there was a banner with the slogan “Balochistan sath hai tere Hindustan” (India is with you Baluchistan). There was heavy police presence as they thought that the event might turn communal.

Organisers of the event said that through the symbolic gesture they wanted to send “a loud and clear message” to Pakistan that Balochistan will be free from its grip soon.

Kamlesh Maheshwari, one of the organiser and a local resident said, “We are with our Prime Minister and we wanted to convey our message to Pakistan.”

“After the Prime Minister’s speech from ramparts of the historic Red Fort in Delhi, we the people of Jhabua have decided to back him and this was an occasion when we could show our support to the Prime Minister as well as people of Balochistan who are facing atrocities for decades,” he said.

Ranapur police station chief BS Sisodiya said, “Youngsters from Ranapur are against terrorism and they were just expressing their anguish through the symbolic gesture.”