A day before Hanuman Jayanti, the Sambalpur police arrested four persons, including local Hanuman Jayanti Coordination Committee president Prabhat Panda, for allegedly wielding swords during the Jhanda rally held at Dhanupalli Square here on April 5. The cops have booked them under various sections of the IPC and the Arms Act. They also have lodged FIRs against eight more.
However, the committee has denied the allegation. “The charge of wielding swords is false. We were arrested without any warrant even after we appeared before the court,” committee member Shiv Kumar Agarwal told reporters, adding, “They would be held responsible for eventualities.”
Tension prevailed at few places of the city following the arrest as local unit of the BJP strongly opposed it announcing all support for the tradition.
District administration deployed about 40 platoons of police force and 79 officers to avoid any untoward incident, according to sources.
“The administration has no business to interfere with the tradition so long as our celebrations are peaceful. This is part of our culture and we have been wielding swords during Hanuman Jayanti every year peacefully. We oppose the police action,” said a local BJP leader. Notably, sword wielding on the Hanuman Jayanti is nothing new for the town as it is considered part of the Hindu tradition. Men and women alike wield swords and showcase their martial prowess on the occasion. Senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra had been arrested last year for wielding a sword in public in violation of prohibitory orders of the administration.