Temple priest booked under POCSO and Atrocity Act in Saharanpur, UP; Brahmin community stage protests

Protestors gheraoed Superintendent of Police’s office and recited ‘Hanuman Chalisa’
Bhim Army accused of attempting to take over temple property

Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) – After a temple priest was booked under the POCSO and Atrocities Acts, thousands from the Brahmin and upper-caste communities took to the streets in protest against the Bhim Army. The protesters surrounded the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police, recited the Hanuman Chalisa, and demanded an impartial investigation.

A member of the Brahmin community stated that the entire matter was a well-planned conspiracy. According to him, 45-year-old priest Vijay Shastri had been falsely implicated. He alleged that certain people wanted to seize the temple’s valuable property and were trying to intimidate the priest and drive him away. He further claimed that the girl named in the case used to come to the temple to play, and that the priest merely distributed prasad to children.

Temples shut, widespread anger amongst people

In protest against the case registered against the priest, several temples in Saharanpur remained closed. Members of the upper-caste community said that if priests face such false cases merely for performing worship in temples, then how would they be able to continue serving? During the protest, the presence of some Bhim Army workers further angered the crowd. Protesters alleged that certain members of the Bhim Army travel from place to place filing false complaints and later extort large sums of money in the name of settlements. They claimed that such methods are being used across the country to harass the upper-caste community. The protesters warned that if any action was taken under pressure, the entire community would come onto the streets and intensify the agitation further.