Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: Tension prevailed at a village in Rohtak district on Friday after the locals allegedly held a group of BJP leaders, including a former state minister, hostage inside a temple. The saffron leaders said they went to the village to watch live telecast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech from Kedarnath shrine.
The locals had reportedly decided to not allow BJP politicians in the village over the contentious farm laws enacted by the central government. The incident happened when former minister Manish Grover and some BJP leaders went to a temple in Kiloi village around 10 am. When the villagers came to know that BJP leaders were inside the temple, they assembled outside and blocked the main entrance. The situation remained tense till around 5.30 pm when the ‘hostages’ were released after senior administrative and police officials pacified the villagers.
Some villagers said they took the extreme step because the BJP leaders came to the village despite knowing that farmers had given a call to not allow BJP leaders enter the villages. “They do not go to mandis (grain market) to check procurement of paddy or wheat but visit temples to create division in society,” said a villager.
Meanwhile, an official said the BJP leaders were released after holding talks with the villagers. He said the incident happened because of some “misunderstanding”. Grover played down the incident saying the dispute arose due to a misunderstanding. “The matter was resolved as soon as villagers understood the reality,” he said adding that he neither apologised to anyone nor was it a serious matter.
In another incident, the front windshield of BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra’s car was smashed allegedly by farmers when he visited Narnaund town in Hisar district. No one was hurt in the incident while the minister described the incident as a “murder attempt”.
