Giving a new twist to the whole controversy over the attempt of some young Muslim men to forcibly enter the Trimbakeshwar temple near Nashik, Acharya Tushar Bhosale, convener of the spiritual cell of the Maharashtra BJP, on Monday said that the young men have criminal records against them and hence motives behind their attempt to enter the temple need to be closely examined. Bhosale also challenged Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut to furnish evidence to prove his statement that “Trimbakeshwar had a tradition of over 100 years wherein Muslims lit incense sticks inside the holy temple.”
Growing evidence of a ‘tradition’
“There had been no such tradition. Muslims have never entered the holy temple in the past. They used to show the incense sticks from a square on the road passing nearby the temple. Last year some of them stood on the steps of the temple and shot a video which is now being displayed as an evidence of the so-called tradition,” Bhosale said.
Bhosale, who showed a couple of documents at the press conference, said, “Salmaan Aqeel Sayyad, an accused in a case under POSCO of 2018 for sexual assault of a minor Hindu girl, released an old video to wrongfully claim that the temple had a tradition of Muslims lighting incense sticks inside temple.”
Accused have a criminal background
He added, “Others accompanying Sayyad in the latest attempt to forcibly enter the temple too have serious criminal records against their names. Some of them are involved in cases related to drug supply while some others have cases of arms trade against them. These are serious offences. Hence the SIT appointed by the government should also look into these cases and try to find out their motive behind the move.”
While countering MNS leader Raj Thackeray’s statement that ‘the villagers should be allowed to deal with the issue for themselves and that others from outside shouldn’t interfere in the issue, Acharya Bhosale said, “It is not a village temple. The temple belongs to the whole of Hindu community and hence everyone who has faith in the god, has a right to speak in the case.”
