BJP MP hoists tribal flag at Raj fort, held for ‘disturbing peace’
JAIPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirodi Meena was detained on Sunday on charges of disturbing peace after he allegedly hoodwinked heavy security to unfurl a white tribal flag at the temple situated in Rajasthan’s Ambagarh fort, days after members of the Meena community pulled down a saffron flag hoisted there by Hindutva organisations.
The 18th-century fort is at the centre of the dispute between the Meena Scheduled Tribe (ST) community and Hindutva organisations, which intensified when a group of tribal youth removed a saffron flag that was unfurled by a Hindu outfit last month.
The Meenas consider the fort sacre as it houses the temple of deities like amba devi — a clan goddess — Bhairu ji and Shiv Parivar.
On July 21, members of the Meena community, allegedly led by independent MLA Ramkesh Meena, gathered at the fort, took down the flag and accused Hindutva outfits of trying to tamper with the tribal culture. Cross FIRS were lodged at the Transport Nagar police station on July 22 in this regard. After the incident of tearing down the saffron flag, Kirodi called for an agitation at the temple on Sunday and demanded action against Ramkesh for allegedly trying to disturb harmony.
In the wee hours on Sunday, Kirodi, along with a dozen supporters, climbed up around 3km during heavy rainfall and placed the flag on a parapet of the fort located on hills near Galta on the Jaipur-agra highway.
Soon after he entered, police officials detained the Rajya Sabha MP for questioning.
Jaipur police commissioner Anand Srivastava said, “Meena was detained for disturbing peace on entering into a prohibited forest area, and later released.” The fort comes under the jurisdiction of the forest department and no one except for designated officials are allowed entry, an official added.
Kirodi, however, claimed that he was arrested.
“I have been arrested from the Ambagarh fort,” he said in a Twitter post.
Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje condemned Kirodi’s detention.
“The arrest of Dr Kirodi Lal Meena, who gave a befitting reply to the Congress doing politics in the name of religion in the case of Amagarh fort is condemnable. Dr Meena should be released immediately,” Raje tweeted.
Ramkesh Meena, meanwhile, criticised Meena, saying: “There would have been no dispute if Kirori would have stated that he is going to put the community flag and not saffron. The community flag is already there.”
He added that the incident came to light a few days back, when members of the Surajpole unit of Rajasthan Adivasi Meena Seva Sangh informed them about the saffron flag at the fort.
“We raised our objection to the forest officials, who called the people who hoisted the saffron flag, they accepted their mistake and removed the flag,” he said.