The Ujjain and Indore police in Madhya Pradesh have lodged cases against a woman and five persons respectively for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments.
Priests enraged over a video shot on the Mahakaleshwar temple premises in Ujjain demanded that the entry of women be stopped. The State’s Home Minister asked the SP to lodge an FIR against the woman on Monday. The priests dropped their demand after the registration of the FIR.
In the second incident, cases against four non-Hindu youth and the organiser of a garba event were lodged in Indore on Sunday night after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal alleged that the event promoted “anti-Hindu activities”.
The woman at the centre of the Ujjain controversy had posted the video she shot on Instagram, but took it down and issued a video statement apologising for her action which she said was not liked by priests and certain outfits.
Moolchand Junwal, assistant administrator of the Mahakaleshwar temple, told media persons earlier on Monday that the priests lodged a complaint with the Ujjain administration demanding action against the woman and seeking that women be disallowed entry into the temple henceforth.
“Stern action will be taken against people for releasing videos shot at religious places that hurt sentiments. In the context of a video released by a woman shot at Ujjain’s Mahakaleswar temple, I have asked the Ujjain Superintendent of Police to lodge an FIR against the woman,” tweeted Home Minister Narottam Mishra.
Garba event halted
In Indore, members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal created a ruckus during a garba event on Sunday alleging that it was promoting “love jihad”, a term used by right-wing outfits to describe interfaith marriages involving Muslim men and Hindu women. They stopped the event at Oxford College in Gandhi Nagar area insisting that participation of people from other religions is not acceptable at a Hindu event.
The Gandhi Nagar police lodged an FIR against four persons and the organiser of the event, an official said.
The State’s communally sensitive Malwa region has reported several incidents triggered by Hindu and Muslim radical groups in the past.
