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VHP rath yatra stopped near Jhabua

The Jhabua district administration today prevented the Vishwa Hindu Parishad-sponsored rath yatra from entering this western Madhya Pradesh district bordering Rajasthan.

The rath yatra, VHP's expression of protest against the visit of Pope John Paul-II to India next month, was stopped when it entered Timarbadi village of Madhya Pradesh from neighbouring Rajasthan at around 1100 hrs.

About a dozen VHP workers were travelling in the vehicle which was given the shape of a chariot.

The administrative officials present at the border handed over to the VHP workers a notice informing them about imposition of prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CRPC in the area.

Jhabua, where a nun was reportedly raped last year allegedly by some activitists associated with Hindu fundamentalist groups, has a sizeable tribal population, a majority of them converted Christians.

Though the VHP workers assured the officials that the yatra would be taken out in a ''peaceful manner,'' they were not given permission to proceed. Later, they crossed back to Rajasthan and sat on a dharna.

Jhabua District Collector Wasim Akhtar and Superintendent of Police G R Meena have reached Timarbadi. Elaborate security arrangements have been made on the border.

UNI

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