'Nose-rubbing' row in UP's Meerut resolved after both sides reach compromise

Meerut: The tense standoff between Vaishya and Gurjar communities in Meerut over the controversial 'nose-rubbing' incident was resolved after intervention by senior BJP leaders, with both sides agreeing to a compromise, party officials said Friday.

On October 19, Vikul Chaprana, a Gujjar, who claimed to be associated with the BJP then, allegedly forced local cloth trader Satyam Rastogi to rub his nose on the ground near Tejgarhi crossing in Meerut as an apology over a parking dispute.

The act was captured on video and widely circulated on social media, sparking public outrage and tension between the two communities.

BJP city president Vivek Rastogi told PTI on Friday that the compromise was "necessary to end the growing tension in society," adding that both parties were willing to settle the matter amicably.

According to officials, Meerut MP Arun Govil, Minister of State Dinesh Khatik, MLA Amit Agarwal, Mayor Harikant Ahluwalia, MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj and district BJP president Shivkumar Rana were among those present in the meeting.

Both sides submitted a written agreement stating that they no longer wished to pursue any legal action, they said.

However, the police have distanced themselves from the compromise.

Senior Sub-Inspector Ajab Singh of the Medical police station told PTI that the settlement was a "matter between the two parties," adding that action had been taken against the accused following the registration of a case.

Following the incident, questions were also raised over the police's handling of the case, which led to the suspension of the Medical police station in-charge. Three other policemen were shunted from the force, too. The BJP also suspended Chaprana from the party's Kisan Morcha.

The Gurjar community later held a panchayat in Kazipur, prompting a police case against six named individuals and 40 unidentified persons for holding the gathering without permission and making inflammatory statements. The trader community had also expressed anger over the episode.