30/09/2014

Manjhi orders probe into temple purification incident

 


Patna(BiharTimes): Stating that he is not in the habit of telling lies chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday ordered a probe by divisional commissioner of Darbhanga and inspector general of police, Darbhanga zone, to jointly probe into the incident involving the washing of temple at a village in Madhubani district after his visit on August 18 last.

The chief minister made the disclosure about this incident at a function in Patna on Sunday. However, his ministerial colleagues and the priest of the temple denied that such incident had taken place.

Talking to the media after presiding over “Udyami Panchayat” in Patna Manjhi said that strict action would be taken if anybody is found guilty. He said that the two officials would investigate whether idols and premises of Parmeshwari Devi temple located in Anradhari village were washed and purified soon after his visit there for obeisance.

On being asked about the denial by rural development minister Nitish Mishra and JD(U) MLC Vinod Kumar Singh (both of whom accompanied Manjhi) and mines and geology minister Ram Lakhan Ram Raman’s statement that he had not conveyed any such incident to the chief minister he said he was not in the habit of telling lies in public.

Manjhi went on to explain that Raman had narrated the incident to him not once, but twice after which he chose to go public to highlight bias against Dalits in civil society.

He also said that former Union minister Devendra Yadav, who represented Madhubani in Lok Sabha had called him from New Delhi to inform that the temple was washed within half an hour of his visit.

The Mahadalit CM said he had kept quiet then and decided against raising the issue since Bihar was going through by-polls in ten Assembly seats; but has now gone public after Raman reminded about it on a couple of occasions in recent past.

However, the priest of the temple, Ashok Kumar Mishra once again refuted the chief minister’s charge and said that the temple premise was not washed and purified soon after the visit, but it was done so in the evening as per routine.

The temple premises are washed twice a day, in the morning and evening, everyday as per routine being practised for decades, he reiterated.


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