After members of a Hindu organization “discovered” an abandoned temple in a Muslim-majority area of Aligarh, police said on Thursday that the temple would be under police surveillance and an investigation would be launched into the alleged missing idols.
Members of organizations such as the Bajrang Dal and the Karni Sena alleged that efforts were being made to “hide the temple from public view”. On Wednesday evening, members of Hindu organizations and local BJP leaders opened the temple and cleaned it in the presence of the police.
Mahant Yogi Kaushal Nath of Achaltal reached the temple on Thursday morning and offered pooja.
“Many idols are missing from the temple. The rest are damaged.
Former mayor of Aligarh, BJP’s Shakuntala Bharti expressed concern over the condition of the temple. “I have written a letter to the Chief Minister saying that seeing the temple in a dilapidated condition and land encroachment has hurt Hindu feelings. We want a proper survey to remove encroachments and restore regular worship,” Bharti said.
A temple was built on the land next to the house about 50 years ago. People used to worship here for years until the temple was abandoned about five years ago,’ he said.
Gyanendra Singh Chauhan, state secretary of the All India Karni Sena, said the temple was discovered during an expedition by his organization to find abandoned places of worship. “We were able to identify this temple on Wednesday,” he said.
Pankaj Mishra, in-charge of Aligarh’s Banna Devi police station, said that the temple will be under police surveillance from now on. He said, ‘I have said that an investigation will be conducted regarding the missing statue.
‘Now morning and evening puja is performed daily in the temple,’ Mahant said.
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