Chaos in Rohtak, slugfest over yoga mats

Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, June 21

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Chaos marked a state-level event to mark International Day of Yoga here today as participants squabbled over unused yoga mats as soon as the function, where Union Home Minister Amit Shah was the chief guest, concluded.

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar presided over the function, organised inside a ‘pandal’, which saw participation by thousands of people, including schoolchildren.

As soon as the VIPs left the venue, a free-for-all broke out as the participants started gunning for mats that lay unused and packed in boxes near the stage and inside the ‘pandal’. Some unable to grab one could be seen trying to snatch mats, with videos of the incident going viral. 

Officials managed to bring the situation under control and even tried to gather the mats, but not before many of the participants had left with more than one mat. 

“There is nothing wrong in taking the mats home as these were meant only for us. The authorities even gave us T-shirts,” said a participant. 

Deputy Commissioner RS Verma endorsed the participants, saying the mats were for them only. “We did not stop anyone. They took mats home as a memento,” added Verma. 

Shah arrived around midnight and stayed at MDU. He left for the yoga session around 7.15 am and returned at 8.30 am. At a breakfast meet, he is learnt to have discussed preparations for Assembly polls, due this year.