Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor: Harpal Rawat
Camera: Ribhu Chatterjee
Thousands of people gathered at Ramlila Maidan in Noida's Sector 110 on Sunday, 21 August, in support of purported Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shrikant Tyagi, claiming that the ruling party abandoned one of its leaders and also disrespected the Tyagi community.
Tyagi was arrested earlier this month for abusing and assaulting a woman in a Noida housing society and was denied bail by an Uttar Pradesh court in a cheating case on 16 August.
On Sunday, Tyagis from several neighbouring states arrived in Noida and sloganeered against BJP MLA Mahesh Sharma, claiming that he had taken the "bulldozer action" for "personal politics."
"Our community has been humiliated, insulted by the BJP and its MLAs – Rajendra Aggarwal and Mahesh Sharma. We will show them in 2024. It is the BJP MLAs who are the real terrorists and they are doing this for personal politics," Dushyant Tyagi from Meerut told The Quint.
'Will Not Support BJP Anymore'
On being asked what message this episode sends to other BJP functionaries, Yuvraj Tyagi, 21, said that if the BJP boycotted its workers, then they (Tyagi community) would boycott the BJP. "100 percent of our community votes for the BJP. But they (BJP) only remember the people before elections," he said.
Speaking to The Quint, Nikhil Tyagi, 24, from Meerut, said that he used to support the BJP but would not continue to do so anymore.
He claimed that the investigation against Shrikant Tyagi was "one-sided" and that though the Tyagi community condemns the abuses he uttered against the woman, they believe that Tyagi's wife and children "did not need to suffer."
"It's not like there were no fights in any neighbourhoods before this, or that no one has used expletives before this. Their (BJP's) leaders come and say expletives on national television in debates, they also lose their patience. This society fight was made so big, people from the high-command announced an award (on Shrikant Tyagi), seized his assets. The punishment is one-sided," he added.
"If the BJP's policies remain good, we will continue to support them. But if the policies are bad, if they harass a man belonging to our community or some other community like this, then we will not support," Anuj Tyagi, the gram pradhan of Nawala, said.
Ousted From the Party
After the video of the altercation went viral, the BJP distanced itself from Tyagi and said that he was never even a member. However, his Facebook profile seems to suggest otherwise.
Speaking to The Quint, several protestors continued to claim that Tyagi was and is "a BJP leader."
On being asked if Shrikant Tyagi was not a member of the BJP, Anuj Tyagi, the gram pradhan of Nawala, said, “This is absolutely false. Shrikant Tyagi is in the BJP since the UP government under Yogi Adityanath was formed. He was there from earlier only."
Apart from sharing the stage with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath himself, Tyagi has photos with over a dozen BJP leaders, including the party president JP Nadda himself.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Police deployed additional personnel in and around the protest site to maintain law and order.
The traffic movement on arterial roads connecting Link Road, Lotus Blue Bird Junction, and Maharshi Ashram Chowk have been diverted to avoid congestion and ensure easy movement of vehicles.
The police also said that no vehicles would be allowed between Lotus Blue Bird junction and Maharshi Ashram Chowk in Noida.
The Tyagi Community's Demands
The Tyagi community, which is outraged by Shrikant Tyagi's arrest, is also being supported by Brahmins and Bhumihars, who are expected to have come from the neighbouring states of Bihar, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab to join the protest.
The mahapanchayat has also slammed the police for targeting Tyagi and demanded the withdrawal of cases registered against six others accused in the case.
The community heads are insisting that a judicial probe be initiated against the police for having allegedly tortured the accused wife Anu Tyagi.
The Sanyukt Tyagi Swabhiman Morcha, the main organiser of the protest, which also ensured all logistical support, said that political motives must be investigated in the case.
The Case Against Shrikant Tyagi
Shrikant Tyagi was arrested earlier this month for having abused and assaulted a woman in housing society in Noida.
The case was registered under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), and 482 (using false property mark) of the Indian Penal Code for "illegally" using cars that had the UP government's official sticker on them.
The Gautam Budh Nagar district court also denied bail to Tyagi on 11 August 2022, in a case registered against him as per sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (assault or use of criminal force on any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of public peace), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 447 (criminal trespass) of the IPC for allegedly assaulting the woman in the housing society.
The alleged abuse and assault took place in Grand Omaxe society in Sector-93B when the woman raised objections against planting some trees by the BJP leader, citing violation of rules.
A video of Tyagi hurling abuses, making derogatory remarks and pushing the woman also went viral on social media.
The woman has accused that Tyagi, who lives on the ground floor of the same society, was encroaching upon the common area and resorted to abuse when questioned.
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