Protests erupt over claims on Lord Krishna's caste in Mathura, FIR filed

Wall inscriptions claiming that Lord Krishna was a Jat triggered protests in Mathura, prompting police to register an FIR and start a probe, officials said on Tuesday.

According to mythology, Nandgaon in Mathura is believed to be the village Lord Krishna was brought to by his foster parents, Yashoda and Nand Baba, to protect him from King Kansa.

Lord Krishna is traditionally regarded as a member of the Yaduvanshi lineage.

Recently, writings under the title "The History of Nandgaon" cropped up on the walls of some shops and homes in Nandgaon that asserted that Lord Krishna was a Jat.

The inscriptions included the name of one Kunwar Singh and a phone number.

Attempts by locals to contact the number, however, were unsuccessful.

As tension grew, subdivisional magistrate Sweta Singh directed the nagar panchayat to register a case.

Clerk Ramjeet filed an FIR on Tuesday against Kunwar Singh for spreading misinformation about Lord Krishna and hurting public sentiment.

The police said a search had been launched for the accused.

"An FIR has been registered based on the complaint by the nagar panchayat clerk. Efforts are underway to identify and locate the accused but no concrete information about his identity or whereabouts has emerged yet. The phone number provided is also inactive," local SHO Arvind Kumar Nirwal said.

"We will trace the phone number through the telecom company and identify the individual using the ID provided during registration. Strict action will be taken to ensure that peace and harmony of the town is not disturbed," he added.

Meanwhile, the nagar panchayat erased all such statements from public spaces. The authorities assured the public that the situation was under control.