Tussle between communities for the legacy of Raja Mihir Bhoj

KARNAL: The inauguration was scheduled for July 20, announced by none other than Lila Ram Gurjar, the ruling BJP's sitting legislator from Kaithal, Haryana

- Neeraj Mohan

The demand is at least four years old; in 2019, the Akhil Bhartiya Veer Gurjar Sabha asked the name of Dhand Chowk in the town be changed to reflect "Gurjar Pratihar Raja Mihir Bhoj", to mark the birth anniversary of the 9th century ruler.

{ GURJAR OR RAJPUT?}

A time was fixed - 10am on July 20, with Haryana education minister Kanwar Pal Gurjar to unveil the statue. But by the day before the proposed inauguration, it became clear that the event would be fraught with tension. On July 19, hundreds of Rajput youth began arriving in droves, angered by the words "Gurjar Pratihar" written before the name of "Samrat Mihir Bhoj".

The Rajputs have long claimed the legendary king was a Rajput. There was a lathi charge, and the protesters alleged that they suffered injuries, a charge that the police has denied.

The following day, Gurjars began pouring in to Kaithal, 174km away from Delhi to attend the function. They came from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. The police presence was heavy, the education minister backed out, and organisers decided to advance the schedule to 8am. In the minister's absence, Lila Ram Gurjar unveiled the statue himself to a loud roar around him. He opened his speech with a popular song among the community, the chorus of which goes, "Jo Gurjar ne chedega, vo marya jayega" (he who provokes a Gurjar will be killed). "There is enough evidence that Mihir Bhoj ji belonged to the Gurjar community, and nobody can change history," he said.

By that evening, the Rajput community was up in arms.