Police said on Wednesday that a group of unidentified Congress supporters had been charged with causing disturbance at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, while Jitu Patwari, the party’s recently appointed state chief, was visiting. A case under sections 294, 323, 506, and 34 of the IPC as well as pertinent provisions of the MP Shri Mahakaleshwar Mandir Adhiniyam, 1982, has reportedly been filed against them at the Mahakal Police station, according to officials. Notably, Patwari accompanied party officials and supporters to the Mahakal temple on Tuesday afternoon to offer prayers. They claimed that during his visit, a group of party members got into a fight with temple management committee staff.
The unidentified party supporters allegedly tried to enter the temple from ‘Nagada Dwar’ and manhandled duty staff deployed there. They also abused and threatened the staff with dire consequences, as per the FIR.
Ujjain Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jayant Singh Rathore said, “Congress President Jitu Patwari visited the Mahakal temple on Tuesday to offer prayers here and he was accompanied by his party’s supporters.”
He said that while entering the temple, some of the party supporters misbehaved with the security staff of the temple management committee and also used abusive language.