DEOGHAR, JHARKHAND – BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Manoj Tiwari, along with several others, have been accused of “forcibly” accessing the holy area of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar. It is said that the event happened on August 2, during the holy month of “Shravan,” when hundreds of devotees come to the shrine and VIP and VVIP admission is limited.
The complaint, which was made by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur, says that the MPs went into the temple between 8:45 and 9:00 p.m., which scared and panicked the devotees and made things like a “stampede.” The priest reportedly said that the MPs and their friends “fought” with police officers who were there for security. A police officer told PTI that the case was filed on August 7 under different parts of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The charges included “hurting religious tradition and sentiments” and “making it harder for the government to do its job.”
The lawsuit further says that the MPs’ presence interrupted the “kancha jal puja” ceremony, which is an important aspect of the “Shravan” journey. The temple is one of the 12 “Jyotirlingas” and is a major stop for thousands of “Kanwariyas” who walk 105 kilometers to offer sacred Ganga water. So far this year, more than 55 lakh “Kanwariyas” have brought water to the temple.
What BJP Leaders Said
Nishikant Dubey stated on X that he had been charged with “worshipping” in response to the FIR. He said that this was the 51st complaint against him and that he would “go straight to the police station from Deoghar airport to be arrested.” Manoj Tiwari has not yet spoken anything about the issue.
The two MPs have been in trouble with the law before. In August 2022, a FIR was filed against them and others for allegedly going into the Air Traffic Control (ATC) room at Deoghar airport to “forcibly take clearance” for their chartered jet to take off after its scheduled time. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, threw out that case in January of this year.