An FIR has been filed against BJP leaders Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari and several others for forcibly entering Deoghar’s Baba Baidyanath Temple. This came after the incident allegedly fuelled a panic and fear among thousands of devotees. The incident took place on August 2.
The Jharkhand Police said the BJP leaders, along with their accomplices, entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple even as restrictions were imposed on the entry of VIPs and VVIPs during the month of ‘Shravan’. A scuffle also broke out between the police and the BJP MPs, which created chaos and inconvenience for the devotees.
Priest files complaint
An FIR was registered on August 7 under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita following a complaint filed by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur. In his complaint, the priest alleged that Dubey and Manoj Tiwari had forcibly entered the temple’s inner sanctum on August 2 between 8:45 pm and 9:00 pm, defying restrictions placed on VIP access.
"An FIR has been lodged at Baba Baidyanath Mandir Police Station against Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey and others for entering the inner shrine of the temple, hurting religious tradition and sentiments and causing obstacles in government work by entering into a scuffle with police persons deployed for security reasons," PTI quoted an officer as saying.
Nishikant Dubey to surrender
Reacting over this, Nishikant Dubey said a case was registered against him for offering the prayers and that he would go to the police station to surrender.
“Due to performing worship, this is the case, so far 51 cases have been registered against me. Tomorrow, I will go straight from Deoghar Airport to the police station to surrender,” he posted on X.
About Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple
During the holy month of ‘Shravan’, thousands of devotees known as ‘Kanwariyas’ undertake a 105-kilometre pilgrimage from Sultanganj in Bihar to the revered Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple in Jharkhand’s Deoghar, one of the twelve sacred ‘Jyotirlingas’. So far, over 55 lakh Kanwariyas have offered sacred Ganga water at the temple as part of the ongoing month-long ‘Shravan Mela’. Additionally, around two lakh devotees have availed the 'Shighra Darshanam' (fast-track) facility to offer their prayers.
