Gurugram: Representatives of Ahir community block highway, demand renaming of Farhan Akhtar’s film

Hundreds of members of the Ahir community blocked the Delhi–Jaipur highway (NH-48) on Sunday, 26 October, staging a foot march demanding that Farhan Akhtar’s upcoming film 120 Bahadur be renamed ‘120 Veer Ahir’.

The protesters claimed the film, based on the 1962 Indo-China war, does not adequately acknowledge the contribution of Ahir soldiers who fought in the Battle of Rezang La in Ladakh.

Organised under the banner of the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha, the demonstrators marched from Kherki Daula Toll Plaza to the Delhi border, raising slogans in honour of the 13th Kumaon Regiment, whose Ahir troops defended Rezang La against overwhelming Chinese forces in November 1962.

According to the Morcha’s statement, the film’s title 120 Bahadur “undermines the identity of the 120 Ahir soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in Rezang La.” The group has demanded that the name be changed to 120 Veer Ahir to “properly honour their legacy.”

“The name of the movie should be changed; otherwise we will not allow its release in Haryana and wherever our community lives,” said advocate Sube Singh Yadav, a member of the Sanyukt Ahir Regiment Morcha. “We will meet Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini to seek a ban on the film in the state if the name is not changed to 120 Veer Ahir.”

Yadav added that the group is preparing to move the Supreme Court, alleging “historical misrepresentation and cultural erasure” in the film’s depiction of the 1962 battle.

The Rezang La battle, fought on 18 November 1962, remains one of the most valiant episodes in Indian military history. Out of 120 soldiers of the Ahir-dominated Charlie Company of the 13th Kumaon Regiment, 114 were killed defending their post at 16,000 feet.

The regiment’s extraordinary resistance delayed the Chinese advance and became a symbol of courage under impossible odds.

Sunday’s march caused over a one-kilometre-long traffic jam on NH-48 near Gurugram, according to traffic police. Officials said the situation was brought under control after negotiations with the protest leaders.

The makers of 120 Bahadur have not yet responded to the controversy. The film is slated for release next month.