DEHRADUN: Angry over the administration’s ban on taking out a procession (Shobha yatra) on Mahashivratri festival in a village in Roorkee, people registered their protest by putting up posters of ‘This house is for sale’ outside their houses and also threatened to leave the village in the near future, calling it a violation of fundamental rights under religious freedom.
In view of the last incident of disturbance between two communities on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, the administration in Dada Jalalpur village did not allow ‘Shobha Yatra’ on Mahashivaratri, and also imposed Section 144 within a 5-km radius of Dada Jalalpur village. Angered by this, some villagers put up posters outside the house, “The house is for sale”, leaving the administrative officials shocked.
In April last year, there was a ruckus between two communities during the Hanuman Jayanti procession. There was arson in the village, due to which the district administration did not allow the procession to be taken out on Mahashivaratri this time, resulting in resentment among the villagers.
SSI Satyendra Singh Butola of Bhagwanpur police station told this newspaper, “Due to the administration not giving permission for the ‘Shobha Yatra’, the police did not give permission for the procession and there was past experience due to which there was a possibility of breach of peace, in view of this, the police and administration have taken this step.” “Posters put up by villagers are being investigated”, he added.