Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, May 27

A local Sikh at Yogi Aditayanath’s “Janata Darbar”at Gorkahpur was today asked to remove his turban before meeting the Chief Minister. The incident occurred on the second day of the CM’s two-day visit to his constituency.Tejpal Singh, a resident of Dharamshala Market area, was waiting for the Chief Minister at his Gorakhnath Temple ashram. He was asked by security personnel to remove his kirpan. Tejpal reluctantly did so after putting up some resistance. Then as he was about to clear the security cordon, he was told to remove his turban too.Taken aback, Tejpal refused to oblige and there was a commotion. Others waiting to meet the CM came to Tejpal’s rescue and the security staff had to give in.Tejpal complained against the security staff to the CM, who reportedly instructed his personal secretary to reprimand the officials.“My family has been visiting the Gorakhnath Temple ashram for generations. Even when Yogi was MP, I had visited him on several occasions. This is the first time that I have been humiliated in this manner,” a dejected Tejpal said.SGPC writes to UP CMAmritsar: Taking a note of the incident, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has appealed to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure liberty for Sikhs to wear their religious symbols in his state.In a communiqué to Yogi Adityanath, SGPC president Kirpal Singh Badungar has asked the CM to direct his administrative officials to acknowledge and respect Sikh religious symbols.The SGPC chief said the incident had hurt sentiments of the community and such treatment in their own country was not acceptable.

UP villagers given shampoos, soaps to ‘smell good’ before CM Yogi

A woman shows the shampoos and soaps given to her. —ANI

Kushinagar, May 27

In a bizarre move, the district administration in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar asked the residents to have a bath before attending a meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath so that they “don’t stink”.

To ensure the instructions were followed, soaps, shampoos and perfumes were distributed among the villagers.

Also read: AC, sofa, carpet put up at martyr’s home removed after Yogi’s visit

The members of the Musahar community were called to attend a vaccination programme for the eradication of encephalitis, a campaign started by the Chief Minister in Kushinagar’s Kasiya division.

Five children from the community were to be vaccinated under the campaign from the area. Ahead of the event, local officials distributed the soaps and shampoos to those attending the event, in order to make them “look clean and smell good.”

Ahead of the event that the Chief Minister was going to attend, roads were paved, toilets were fixed overnight and streets were cleaned up in the village.

Yogi Adityanath launched encephalitis vaccination campaign in the state from Mainpur village in Kushinagar.

The drive is being held from May 25 to June 11 and will cover 88 lakh children in 38 districts, for which the Centre has provided one crore vaccine vials.

In another incident earlier this month, the family of slain BSF head constable Prem Sagar were befuddled when the Deoria district administration installed a window air-conditioner, put up a sofa and carpet at their home ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) They were in for even a greater shock when these trappings of affluence vanished within minutes of the Chief Minister’s departure. With ANI