NEW DELHI, July 19: In a shocker from Mirzapur station in Uttar Pradesh, a CRPF personnel in uniform was thrown to the floor, punched and kicked by a group of Kanwariyas (disciples of Lord Shiva) following an argument over a ticket.
On Saturday morning, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel was waiting to board the Brahmaputra Mail at Mirzapur station when he got into an argument with some Kanwariyas – pilgrims who undertake the Kanwar Yatra to collect Ganga water for offering it to Lord Shiva – over buying a ticket.
A video shows the CRPF man encircled by at least eight men in saffron who pull him and one of them hits him. As he tries to retaliate, the paramilitary personnel is attacked by many Kanwariyas at once, thrown to the ground and punched and kicked several times.
The group then walks away and the CRPF man is helped to his feet by a person at the railway station. Enraged, the CRPF personnel walks towards the Kanwariyas, one of whom slaps him. He tries to throw a punch but is surrounded again, punched several times and then pushed to the same spot of the platform. The Kanwariyas can be seen kicking him again and some people on the platform try to intervene.
Railway Police Force Inspector Chaman Singh Tomar said seven people have been taken into custody. “Around 9.30 am today, the CRPF jawan was waiting to board the Brahmaputra Mail when he had an argument with some men in red clothes. We have taken seven people into custody and further investigation is on,” he said.
The UP BJP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, however, criticised the media and others for “defaming” the Kanwariyas. He said efforts were being made to defame kanwar pilgrims, who are subjected to media trials and labelled as terrorists and rioters. He asserted that this stems from a mentality aimed at insulting India’s heritage.
Speaking in support of Lord Shiva devotees at a seminar on tribal icon Birsa Munda, Yogi mentioned that those who seek to defame the kanwar ‘yatris’ were the same individuals who tried to separate the tribal community from India.
“They conspired at every level to make them fight against India. This is the same community that always insults the faith of India and these are the same people who today want to create a situation of caste conflict by creating fake accounts on social media platforms,” Adityanath said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
