Hundreds of protesters holding tricolour; bikes and tractors carrying banners and posters with ‘Yaduvanshi’ written on them; car speakers blaring songs invoking Yadav and Ahir pride as youth danced: these were the scenes that emerged as a protest was held on Sunday afternoon in Gurgaon against Farhan Akhtar-starrer ‘120 Bahadur’.

The demonstrators, members of the Ahir community, demanded that the name of the movie, based on the 1962 Indo-China war, be changed.

They said that the historical war drama, which is scheduled to be released next month, does not adequately credit the ‘balidaan’ (sacrifice) of nearly 120 Ahir soldiers of the 13th Kumaon Regiment who defended the strategic mountain pass of Rezang La at Ladakh against China’s People’s Liberation Army in 1962.

“If they (movie makers) do not listen, we will not let the film release in Haryana and wherever our community lives. We will meet our Chief Minister (Nayab Singh Saini) to ban the film in the state if the name is not changed to ‘120 Veer Ahir’… A petition before the Supreme Court is also in the process of being drafted and filed,” said Arun Yadav, member of the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha, under whose banner the demonstration was being carried out.

The decision to conduct Sunday’s protest, according to the group, was taken at a meeting of village bodies from Southern Haryana held on October 16 in Manesar. Another demonstration will be conducted on November 9 if the demand is not met, Yadav said.

Among those in attendance was 21-year-old Kapil Yadav, a student of Delhi-based Aryabhatta College. “I got to know about this through social media. It is a justified demand and I am here to show my support.”

Bal Kishan Yadav, BJP leader and Councillor from Manesar’s Bhangrulla ward, said the movement is for the community as a whole, not any party. “Our community is here today to ensure our valiant efforts are reflected in history instead of being wiped out as is being attempted. The character (Farhan) Akhtar plays (Major Shaitan Singh) did lead the 100+ Ahirs but our sacrifice should not be forgotten by promoting only the Chauhan community,” he said.

Those who gathered covered a distance of around 17 km in three hours from the Kherki Daula Toll Plaza to the Delhi-Haryana border at Sirhaul.

A sizable police presence, some with riot vests and sticks, ensured that the protestors did not stray from the two lanes on the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway earmarked for them, said officers.

Slogans of ‘Jai Yadav Jai Madhav’ (Victory to Yadavs) and ‘Ahir Regiment Haq hai hamara’ (an Ahir Regiment is our right) rent the air.

This is not the first time the community is protesting in and around Kherki Daula.

Earlier on September 21, the group had held a dharna (sit-in protest) at the Kherki Daula toll plaza. Days later, Farhan Akhtar posted on X: “They went to the front as boys but through unparalleled courage and sacrifice, they became legends. ‘120 Bahadur’ salutes the veer Ahir soldiers of Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment who laid down their lives in the Battle of Rezang La.”

In February 2022, at least 400 people, including a majority from the Ahir community, held a protest near the same toll plaza demanding the formation of an Ahir regiment in the Indian Army.

Leading the protesters then too were members of the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha. Arun Yadav had at the time said the demand for a separate Ahir regiment had been a long-standing demand of the community.

While Sunday’s march was largely focused on the demand about the movie’s name change, those attending and participating said it was a precursor to again reawaken the demand for the separate regiment.