A group of around 30 individuals allegedly forced their way into the Mata Tekri temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas after midnight on Friday and assaulted the temple priest for refusing them entry, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred around 12.40 a.m., after temple gates had been closed for the night. The priest alleged that one Jitu Raghuvanshi, who, according to police, has a prior criminal record, arrived at the temple with a convoy of eight to ten vehicles, some of which were fitted with red beacons.
Videos of the incident have since gone viral on social media, showing the vehicles pulling up at the base of the hilltop shrine, and members of the group later offering prayers inside the sanctum.
“We close the temple gates by midnight. The group led by Jitu Raghuvanshi came around 12:40 am when I had already shut the gates. When I told them that the temple was closed, they forced me to open the gates and threatened to kill me. They also beat me,” the priest told NDTV.
City Superintendent of Police Dinesh Agrawal confirmed that a case had been registered in connection with the alleged assault. “We are examining footage from around 50 cameras installed across the temple premises,” he said.
When asked if the group was led by the son of a BJP leader, Agrawal responded that the matter was under investigation.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the red-beacon vehicles were official or unauthorised. No arrests had been made at the time of publication.
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