PATNA: Row over assault and misbehaviour with a non-Brahmin Kathavachak in Itawah district of Uttar Pradesh have reached poll-bound Bihar, too. Residents of Tikulia village in East Champaran district on June 30 imposed restrictions on the entry of Brahmins, especially priests following assault and misbehaviour with a non-Brahmin Kathavachak in Itawah district of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh on June 21.Residents put up banners on the entrance gate of the village, restricting the movement of Brahmins, especially priests. They also threatened to impose a penalty on anybody who dared to defy the ban order and perform puja. Electric pillars have also been painted with a similar ban order. Dharmendra Kumar, a local resident, said that a unanimous decision to impose ban on the entry of priests was taken at a meeting. “We are protesting against those priests who don’t have any knowledge of Vedas and ‘dharma shashtras’. Yet they were doing the job of priests. Several priests have been found consuming alcohol, which can not be justified,” he added. The village under Adapur police station limits is dominated by people from the Yadav caste, which comes under the Other Backwards Classes (OBC) category. The priests come from nearby villages to perform puja and other religious rituals request of local residents. Another resident, Janardan Yadav, said that it hurt the sentiments of people when they came to know about Mukut Mani Singh Yadav, a kathavachak, being assaulted by residents in Itawa district of Uttar Pradesh recently, for being a non-Brahmin. “Mukut Mani Yadav has been doing ‘Kathavachan’ for the past several years. But it never happened that he had to face a protest for being a non-Brahmin. But it happened in Itawa recently under Yogi Adityanath’s regime. Similar incidents will come to light in days to come”, he asserted. Dharmaveer Choudhary, Station House Officer (SHO) of Adapur police station, said that the posters and banners erected at the village have been removed. Police have identified one Sandeep Yadav, a Youtuber, behind the entire episode. Legal action will be initiated against him soon, he added. He also said that patrolling has been intensified in the village as a precautionary measure. “We are keeping a close vigil on activities of anti-social elements who may try to vitiate the atmosphere in the village,” SHO Choudhary said.
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