Gandhidham in Gujarat tense over FB post on Maheshwari community head

Tension gripped Gandhidham city in Gujarat’s Kutch district on Tuesday after members of the Maheshwari community resorted to stone pelting over a social media post which they claimed has portrayed their religious head Dhani Matand Dev in derogatory manner, police said.

As the word spread, members of the community gathered at Oslo Circle in the city and placed burning tyres on road.

They also stopped vehicles entering Kutch and hurled stones, prompting the police to baton charge the mob and lob tear gas shells, said a police official.

The community members were demanding action against those who uploaded the “offensive” post on Facebook.

“As the mob suddenly started pelting stones, police resorted to baton charge and lobbed around ten tear gas shells to disperse them,” the official said, adding that around ten police personnel were injured in the incident while some police vehicles were also damaged.

The situation is under control now, he said, adding that nobody is detained so far.

As per traditional belief, Dhani Matang Dev had established Barmati Panth in the Maheshwari Meghwar community in the 10th century CE.