Following visit of Muslim MLA, UP temple cleansed with Gangajal

Siddhartha Nagar, 28 Nov (HS): After a Muslim MLA visited the shrine, members of Hindu groups poured ‘Gangajal’ on a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharth Nagar district on Monday to “purify” it. Saiyada Khatoon, a Samajwadi Party (SP) lawmaker from Domariaganj, claimed she was invited to an event on Sunday by the management of the Samya Mata shrine in Balwa village, Siddharth Nagar district.

According to authorities, after the Ram Katha event, the Chairman of the local panchayat and representatives of various Hindu organizations visited the temple on Monday, sprinkled Gangajal, read the Hanuman Chalisa, and screamed anti-Khatoon chants. “Samya Mata Mandir is a center of faith for devotees,” stated Dharmaraj Verma, Chairman of the Barhni Chafa Nagar Panchayat.

?People flood the temple in support of a dedication that was ignored by the local MLA. She is not a vegetarian, and her presence tainted the sacredness of the area,” he added. Members of several Hindu organizations, including Santosh Paswan, Mithlesh Pandey, Vijai Madhesia, and Pramod Gautam, accompanied him. Verma claimed to have splashed Gangajal on the shrine in order to “purify” it. Domariaganj Circle Officer Sujit Kumar Rai stated that a police squad was patrolling the area to avoid any confrontations and that no complaints had been received in connection with the event. “We will take appropriate action if a complaint is filed in this regard,” he said.

Rai further stated that local villagers had formed an organizing committee for the Ram Katha, led by Shrikant Shukla, the secretary of the organising committee, and Pujari Prasad, the temple’s head priest, and had invited the SP leader. “We are investigating the incident and keeping a close eye on developments,” said Abhishek Kumar Agarwal, Superintendent of Police in Siddharth Nagar.

“I respect all religions,” Khatoon added. ?In addition, I am a public official. If I am asked to a temple or a mosque, I will definitely go.” Her MLA local area development money was used to support the renovation of different temples, she noted.