Tyagi community comes out in support of jailed Noida politician

Thousands of members of the Tyagi community held a mahapanchayat here on Sunday in support of jailed politician Shrikant Tyagi, alleging that he is a victim of conspiracy by BJP leader and Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma.

Shrikant was arrested on August 9 from Meerut after he remained absconding for four days following an FIR against him for allegedly assaulting and abusing a woman co-resident of his Grand Omaxe society in Sector 93B. He had claimed to be a BJP functionary but the party denied any links with him.

At the mahapanchayat held in Gejha village, leaders of the community demanded that an FIR should be lodged against the BJP MP for making a personal argument a political issue.

According to police estimates, nearly 10,000 community members from Gautam Buddh Nagar and other western Uttar Pradesh districts like Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Bulandshahr, Baghpat, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Agra and Hapur participated in the mahapanchayat.

Around 1,500-2,000 personnel from police and RAF were deployed in the village to maintain law and order, police officials said.

The community leaders also demanded that the BJP should expel Sharma from the party, according to a memorandum of the mahapanchayat.

Action should be taken against Shrikant Tyagi only for the crime he has committed. But the action under Gangster Act started by the administration against him should be stopped with immediate effect and all his seized vehicles, goods, etc, should be returned, it stated.

The six other youths of the community against whom FIRs have been lodged in fake cases, those should be quashed too, it added.

They also demanded, among others, that action should be taken against 299 other residents of the Grand Omaxe society who have encroached land.

The Tyagi community will not take a step back until all these demands are met, according to the memorandum of demands.

A banner displayed at the entry of Gejha village read, "Humare gaon mein BJP netaon ka pravesh band hai (entry of BJP politicians is prohibited in our village)."

The congregation started around 10 am at the Ramlila ground in the village on the call of locals even as hundreds of community members from other parts of western UP reached here for the programme.

Shrikant's wife Annu Tyagi also attended the mahapanchayat briefly, being held in her native Gejha village, and claimed the whole episode was a conspiracy hatched by Sharma.

"I was tortured by police and the administration on instructions from Sharma. I request Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the UP Police to investigate this conspiracy against my family," Annu said.

She said what her husband did with the woman was "wrong" but the police actions against him are also "unjustified".

"Unnecessary charges should be dropped against him immediately," she said.

Pawan Tyagi, who identified himself as spokesperson of the Tyagi-Brahmin Association, said Shrikant had misbehaved with the woman as a result of a society-level conflict.

"Whatever charges are appropriate for that case, he must be punished accordingly. But if you press Goonda Act or Gangsters Act in such a case, is this justified? Second, his wife Annu was detained by police and the family harassed by ways of power cut, etc," he told reporters.

"All this happened on instructions of Gautam Buddh Nagar MP Mahesh Sharma who had called UP government's additional chief secretary (Awanish Awasthi) while he was live on TV news cameras. This whole mahapanchayat is against Mahesh Sharma and the unfair action taken against the Tyagi family," he claimed.

Security has been stepped up at the offices and hospitals belonging to BJP leader Sharma as a precautionary measure, police said.

Meanwhile, residents of Grand Omaxe on Sunday observed a "silent protest" as the congregation of the Tyagi community took place barely two kilometres from it.

Banners were put up at multiple places within the society stating they were united in their fight against "harassment", "authoritarianism", "disrespect to women", "abuses" and "encroachment".

"Society residents did their routine chores as usual. There was police security within and outside the society premises throughout and there was no worry," a society resident told PTI.

The Tyagi community is believed to be unhappy with Sharma over his role during the Shrikant Tyagi episode earlier this month. They are also upset over Sharma's alleged use of derogatory words against the community, even as the former Union minister has denied making such remarks.

"The whole community is together in seeking justice for Shrikant Tyagi and his wife," a community member who came from Agra said.

Another man leading a group from Muzaffarnagar told reporters, "Shrikant should be released and sister Annu's dignity should be brought back as she was harassed by the administration."

A group of men in their 20s from Muzaffarnagar alleged that the BJP has "worsened" the matter, and said their struggle would continue "till the Tyagi community's pride is not restored".

The traffic was diverted on several routes in Noida in view of the event as scores of people landed in cars, buses, motorcycles, and tractors from parts of western UP for the mahapanchayat.