New Delhi:
A group of 50 men from the dalit community in Gujarat were deboarded from a train in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi by the police on Sunday evening. The men were on their way to Lucknow with a 125 kg soap that they wanted to gift Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The act was a symbolic protest against a reported incident in which people belonging to a Scheduled Caste in Kushinagar district wee given soap and shampoo by the local administration ahead of a visit by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in May this year. Members of the Mushahar community - one of the poorest in the state -- said they were asked to take bath and clean up properly before attending a function in Kushinagar, the report said.
After the incident, a newly formed dalit outfit in Gujarat decided to prepare a soap bar and personally gift it to UP CM so that he could bathe with it before meeting dalits.
The police have given no reason for their action but sources say the people were offloaded from the train to prevent disorder. According to reports, the group of protestors have been taken to a local govt guest house for now. Its not clear what the police will do next.
