fir-against-bjp-mps-for-forced-entry-at-deoghar-temple

An FIR has been registered against BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari and others for allegedly “forcibly” entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, Jharkhand, earlier this month, causing fear and panic among thousands of devotees.

 

The case, lodged on August 7 under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, was based on a complaint filed by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur.

 

In his complaint, Thakur accused Dubey and Tiwari of “forcibly entering the inner shrine on August 2, between 8.45 p.m. and 9 p.m.” despite restrictions on VIP entry.

 

According to the complaint, the “forcible entry” and a “scuffle” with police personnel created panic among devotees, leading to a stampede-like situation.

 

A police official told the reporters that the FIR names Dubey, Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey and others for “hurting religious tradition and sentiments” and “causing obstacles in government work” by clashing with security personnel deployed at the temple.

 

It was also alleged that the MPs entered the inner chamber while the ‘kancha jal puja’ ritual was underway, disrupting the prayer.

 

The incident took place during the Hindu month of ‘Shravan’, when thousands of ‘Kanwariyas’ undertake a 105-kilometre pilgrimage from Sultanganj in Bihar to Deoghar to offer holy Ganga water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’. This year, around 5.5 million ‘Kanwariyas’ have made offerings at the temple so far.

 

While Manoj Tiwari has not commented on the matter, Nishikant Dubey said the case was filed against him “for worshipping.” In a post on X, Dubey wrote: “This case has been registered for worshipping... So far, 51 cases have been registered against me. Tomorrow, I will go straight to the police station from Deoghar airport for my arrest.”

 

This is not the first controversy involving the two MPs. In August 2022, an FIR was filed against nine people, including Dubey and Tiwari, for allegedly forcing Air Traffic Control officials to give clearance for a chartered flight to take off from Deoghar airport beyond the scheduled time. The complaint accused them of violating safety norms by entering the ATC room and “forcibly taking clearance” for departure.

 

In January this year, the Supreme Court confirmed the quashing of the criminal trespass case against the MPs and others in connection with the 2022 ATC incident.