Mathura: Uttar Pradesh government would felicitate a Muslim village head who had constructed a temple as a mark of communal harmony in Sahaar village of the district.
“It is commendable work. We shall felicitate him,” Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Wednesday while talking to reporters in Jatipura village.
The Sahaar village head, Ajmal Ali Sheikh, had constructed a temple in the Nagla Gajai area. Before this, the Hindu residents of the village had to travel to a temple four kilometers away in another village.
“I had built the temple for promoting communal harmony and for facilitating the ladies to pray in the temple in their own village. If the Chief Minister has decided to felicitate me, it is welcome,” Sheikh said.
“I was thrilled when I performed a Yagna (a ritual of scared fire) organized on the occasion of opening of the temple in Nagla Gazi on last Sunday, since the temple would become a symbol of communal harmony in the area,” he said.
Akhilesh also declared that he would felicitate two priests who had completed a traditional ritual of walking through a bonfire during Holi celebrations.
The two priests, Sunil Panda and Hira Lal, hail from Jatwari village and Falen village respectively.
“They would not be considered for Yash Bharti award. However, we certainly would felicitate them separately in a program,” the Chief Minister said.
