Locals in Uttarakhand demand arrest of Bhim Army leader who threatened to bulldoze temple

In Uttarakhand, a group of villagers led by the Karni Sena took out a protest march at Mori Bazaar on Monday, demanding the arrest of Bhim Army national vice-president Manjit Singh Nautiyal for his statement that Dalits should not be allowed to enter There was a threat to run a bulldozer on a temple.

Police officer SS Bhandari said people raised slogans against Nautiyal in a protest march led by Karni Sena leader Thakur Shakti Singh at Mori Bazar. They demanded Nautiyal’s arrest, accusing him of hurting religious sentiments and trying to disturb peace in the area.

Nautiyal had on Saturday met the family of the man who was mercilessly thrashed with burning sticks by upper caste men for entering a temple in Salra village recently. In a meeting with the family members of the injured Dalit youth, Nautiyal had said that he would bulldoze the temple if the community members were stopped from entering the temple.