Mihir Bhoj caste row: Adityanath's name smeared with black paint
What's the story
Tension prevailed in Greater Noida on Tuesday after the name of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was allegedly smeared with black paint on a plaque fixed below a statue of King Mihir Bhoj that he had unveiled last week.
The names of Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar and Dadri MLA Tejpal Nagar were also smeared with black paint on the plaque.
Act
Act allegedly committed by members of Gurjar community
Several purported visuals of the incident surfaced on social media.
The police has launched an investigation into the act which has been allegedly committed by some members of the Gurjar community, who have been at loggerheads with the Rajput community, with both claiming that the ninth-century king belonged to their caste, the officials said.
Conflict
Adityanath unveiled the king's statue on September 22
Adityanath unveiled the king's 15-foot-tall statue in Greater Noida's Dadri area on September 22.
A conflict had ensued over the addition of the prefix Gurjar to the name of King Bhoj on the plaque.
Prior to the event also, tension was brewing in the region due to conflict between the Rajput and Gurjar communities over the issue while Adityanath made a remark on caste.
Remark
Great icons cannot be confined to one caste: CM
The Chief Minister had remarked that great icons cannot be confined to one caste, they belong to everyone after unveiling the statue of the king.
The smearing of black paint over the names on the plaque allegedly took place after Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Singh Nagar visited the statue and paid tributes to King Bhoj on Tuesday morning.
Information
Police was instructed to lodge an FIR into the incident
Satyamev Jayate, Nagar, a Gurjar leader, captioned a picture of him standing next to the statue in a Twitter post in the morning. An official said local Dadri Police has been instructed to lodge an FIR into Tuesday's incident and take action against the culprits.