"Jai Shri Ram, Jai Shri Ram" -- the chant rang out loud in the heart of Gwalior this evening, as a heated confrontation unfolded between a police officer and a lawyer amid prohibitory orders and tightened security across the city. What started as a dispute over enforcing prohibitory orders, quickly turned into a dramatic face-off between senior police officer Hina Khan and advocate Anil Mishra. Both sides chanted of "Jai Shri Ram" before a stunned crowd.
The atmosphere in Gwalior has been tense over the installation of a statue of BR Ambedkar at the Madhya Pradesh High Court premises. Though the Dalits have called off their protest march planned for October 15, a security blanket has been firmly spread over the city in view of earlier instances of caste conflict.
According to eyewitnesses, advocate Mishra, former president of the lawyers' association, arrived with his supporters to recite Ramayan's Sundar Kand near Phoolbagh on Monday evening.
Hina Khan stopped the gathering, citing the ongoing prohibitory orders. Angry, Mishra accused her of being "against Sanatan Dharma" and began chanting "Jai Shri Ram".
To everyone's surprise, DSP Hina Khan walked up to Mishra, looked him in the eye, and began chanting "Jai Shri Ram" too.
Eyewitnesses say the officer then calmly asked, "What else?" before turning back to manage the crowd.
The encounter became a talking point in the city.
The clash comes as Gwalior remains on high alert over the Ambedkar statue issue. More than 4,000 police personnel have been deployed across the city, and Section 163 is in force, prohibiting any public gatherings.
The controversy had taken a casteist turn and escalated after Anil Mishra made derogatory remarks about BR Ambedkar in a viral video, calling him "a slave-agent of the British and a liar." The remarks triggered outrage across the Gwalior-Chambal region, leading to multiple police cases.
from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/sc38g5y
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