Rath mela
human rights / Destruction of shops at Rath Mela and the ever-shrinking space for minorities
Last Saturday night, the 400-year-old Rath Mela in Dhamrai, a fair integral to the Hindu Rath Jatra Utsab and the biggest Rath Jatra festival of the country, was shut down by the police over what it called “security concerns”, the fair stalls forcibly dismantled, visibly destroyed, and their owners beaten up.
400-year-old Hindu fair shut down
The Rath mela in Dhamrai has been suspended by the local police citing security concerns. But it is alleged that the fair was stopped over a rift between the local lawmaker and the municipality mayor. The Rath mela is integral to the biggest Rath Jatra Utsab in the country.
Destruction of shops at Rath Mela and the ever-shrinking space for minorities
Last Saturday night, the 400-year-old Rath Mela in Dhamrai, a fair integral to the Hindu Rath Jatra Utsab and the biggest Rath Jatra festival of the country, was shut down by the police over what it called “security concerns”, the fair stalls forcibly dismantled, visibly destroyed, and their owners beaten up.
400-year-old Hindu fair shut down
The Rath mela in Dhamrai has been suspended by the local police citing security concerns. But it is alleged that the fair was stopped over a rift between the local lawmaker and the municipality mayor. The Rath mela is integral to the biggest Rath Jatra Utsab in the country.