Mumbai: Nashik witnessed an unexpected disruption during the main Republic Day celebrations at the police parade ground on Monday, after a woman officer from the Maharashtra Forest Department confronted state Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan in the middle of his address, triggering brief chaos at the official event.
The incident occurred shortly after the ceremonial flag hoisting, when Minister Mahajan was addressing the gathering as part of the government-organised Republic Day programme. During his speech, a woman later identified as Madhuri Jadhav alleged that the minister failed to mention the name of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. Raising her voice from the audience, she questioned the omission, shouting, “Why did you not take Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s name?”
Jadhav suddenly stood up from her seat and ran towards the ground, continuing her protest vocally and disrupting the proceedings, reported Maharashtra Times. The unexpected outburst led to confusion among attendees, including senior officials, police personnel and members of the public present at the parade ground. The programme was briefly interrupted as security personnel moved in to assess the situation.
Police officials stationed at the venue acted swiftly, with women police constables restraining Jadhav and taking her into custody to prevent further disruption. The situation was brought under control within minutes, allowing the event to conclude without further incident.
Viral Video Shows Protesting Officer
Following the incident, a video of Jadhav’s protest began circulating widely on social media. In the video, she is heard expressing strong views, stating that she was prepared to face suspension if necessary but would not remain silent. She is also heard stating that constitutional values of equality and justice stem from Dr Ambedkar’s work, questioning why his name was not mentioned on Republic Day.
Minister Responds To Allegations
The sudden incident caused a brief scramble among the administration and police personnel present at the venue. Acting swiftly, women police officers deployed at the parade ground intercepted the woman employee and immediately took her into custody, preventing the situation from escalating further. Responding to the controversy, Rural Development Minister Girish Mahajan clarified that the omission of Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s name was inadvertent and not intentional. “The name was missed unintentionally. There was no deliberate intent behind it,” Mahajan said as quoted by Maharashtra Times.
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