Nashik: The Hindu Mahasabha on Wednesday “purified” the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district of Maharashtra by sprinkling it with cow urine after members of a different community allegedly entered into the premises of the temple, sources said. The Hindu Mahasabha has also demanded arrest of the people who tried to enter into the temple and threatened to close the temples across the state.
Members of the Hindu Mahasabha on Wednesday sprinkled the stairs leading to the temple with cow urine as part of the ritual to “purify” the temple. Police have already booked four persons under sections 295 (Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) and 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment with life or other imprisonments) of the Indian Penal Code in the incident, which reportedly took place on Saturday night.
It is alleged that the local members of a different religion approached the temple management and sought permission to enter into the temple to perform a ritual of offering incense smoke to the deity at the temple. However, the security guards at the gate of the temple prevented the group from entering inside the temple area and they were forced to return from the stairs of the temple.
Significantly, the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik which is highly revered by the Hindus is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas where non-Hindus are strictly prohibited. Following the May 13 incident, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into the incident by a SIT chaired by an officer of the additional director general (ADG) rank.
“The SIT will not only conduct a probe into this incident but will also investigate a similar incident which took place last year at the same temple. A group representing certain community had entered the temple," Fadnavis said in the statement. Meanwhile, senior Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leader and MP Sanjay Raut has weighed in on the Trimbakeshwar temple row.
While talking to reporters in Nashik, said, “No one forcibly entered the Trimbakeshwar temple. Nothing wrong has happened in Trimbakeshwar temple, I have inquired about it. It is an old practice to offer incense to our deities in sandal procession from the temple premises, the citizens went ahead after showing incense to their deities at the gate of the temple,” MP Sanjay Raut said.
