Chhatarpur, Nov 14 (PTI) Police personnel were deployed around Bageshwar Dham in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district on Saturday amid a row over its head priest Dhirendra Shastri’s controversial remarks on Lord Krishna.
Shastri’s supporters on Friday faced off with members of the Akhil Bharatiya Yadav Mahasabha, who had come to protest against the priest. The supporters also blocked a national highway.
The Bageshwar Dham complex is located around 24 km from the district headquarters.
“Police personnel have been deployed around Bageshwar Dham. Nothing should be read into it. We deploy a skeletal police force on Saturdays and Tuesdays because a large number of Lord Hanuman devotees visit the Dham on these days,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajat Saklecha told PTI over the phone.
He said the tension had subsided on Friday itself.
During a Ram Katha in Karera in MP’s Shivpuri district on October 29, Shastri had compared the forms of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, saying Ram stands straight while Krishna stands bent in three places. Referring to Lord Krishna’s ‘tribhanga’ posture, his flute and Vrindavan, he had also compared Ayodhya and Vrindavan.
After a video of his comments circulated on social media, seers and devotees of Lord Krishna from Mathura and Vrindavan objected, saying Lord Ram and Lord Krishna are equally revered and that such a comparison is inappropriate.
Earlier, Shastri had issued a video message clarifying that there was no difference between Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. He expressed regret if his remarks had hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.
Officials said the Yadav Mahasabha had called for a protest on Friday, alleging that Shastri’s remarks insulted Lord Krishna and the Yadav community, thereby hurting their religious sentiments.
Following the protest call, 300-400 members of the organisation reached the area. However, police stopped them near the railway station in Chhatarpur and detained some of them. Meanwhile, Bageshwar Dham supporters blocked the four-lane NH-39 near Brijpura, around 8 km from Chhatarpur, triggering long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway.
SP Saklecha said police had detained some activists involved in the protest. They were also identifying people who “posted objectionable comments” on social media.
Additional Collector Vinay Dwivedi said more than 100 people had been detained and later released. PTI COR LAL NR
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