Ballia: Locals in Ballia in the native town of Mangal Pandey, the 1857 sepoy mutiny icon, alleged that obscene dances were performed to mark his death anniversary, prompting the district authorities to order a probe. On Monday, in the memory of Mangal Pandey, various functions were organised in Ballia. However, locals on Tuesday alleged that bar dancers staged obscene dances during the night.
District Administration on Tuesday ordered a probe into the matter and promised to take action against those behind it, sources said. "An inquiry has been ordered into the complaint and in case it is found to be true, action would be taken against the organisers," District Magistrate Satya Narain Srivastava said.
The officer said that organising such programme in Ballia, the native district of the great martyr, is shameful. However, secretary of Shahid Mangal Pandey Smarak Samiti, Raj Kumar Pandey, when contacted, rejected the charges saying the dance was part of the musical competition and so was necessary.
The cultural programme commenced in the night in which a "chaita mukabala " (cultural competition) on Mangal Pandey took place between groups from Jharkhand and Bihar and late in the night, dance-based competition was held, he added....
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Some residents of Balia village even have certificates making their family the real Mangal Pandey family. ... 
Mangal Pandey was born in this village... People in Balia, Eastern UP claim “we are his descendants”. ... 
