Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has reportedly directed officials to organise a mela in Chittaura in honour of Suheldev, the king of Shravasti, a month after discontinuing a 1,000-year-old festival in Bahraich at the dargah of Salar Masud Ghazi whom Suheldev had killed.
On Tuesday, Adityanath unveiled a statue of Suheldev in Chittaura, and said he would like melas to be organised in his memory.
According to several historians, Suheldev had defeated and killed Ghazi in AD 1034 in Bahraich.
Last month, the local administration had prevented the dargah committee from organising the month-long congregation, citing law-and-order issues at a time the country was engaged in a military conflict with Pakistan. Police had blocked all roads leading to the dargah where the mela was scheduled to be held from May 15.
Earlier, several Hindutva organisations had sought the state government’s intervention in putting an end to the mela, which they felt “symbolised slavery”. They had claimed that Ghazi was a commander of Mahmud of Ghazni, who had invaded India several times. They had pointed to Ghazi’s alleged involvement in the destruction of temples. However, there is no historical record of Ghazi demolishing temples at the behest of Ghazni.
Locals believe that Ghazi was a Sufi saint who helped the poor. More Hindus used to visit the mela at the dargah than Muslims.
The Sangh Parivar sees Ghazi as a traitor. While inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in December 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said: “The soil of this country is different from that of the rest of the world. Here, if an Aurangzeb comes, Shivaji also rises. If a Salar Masud marches on, warriors like Raja Suheldev make him realise the power of our unity.”
Government sources on Wednesday said they had been instructed to organise “vijayotsavs” in Suheldev’s memory every year.
The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party is an ally of the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
A member of the dargah committee said on the condition of anonymity that they had moved court against the government’s decision to discontinue the mela and hoped to get justice soon.
