Shillong, May 17: Nashik police in Maharashtra avoided a situation from turning communal by arresting four persons who had entered a temple forcefully.
The situation heated up when four Muslim men were accused of forcefully entering the revered Trimbakeshwar temple. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been established by the state government to look into the event.
The temple trust filed a complaint on Tuesday, leading to the arrest of the accused men, who have been identified as Akil Yousuf Sayyed, Salman Akil Sayyed, Matin Raju Sayyed, and Salim Bakshu Sayyed.
On May 13, the four men allegedly attempted to enter the temple’s grounds as part of a Sandal juloos (procession) and attempted to present a chadar to the Shivling. On the Urs (death anniversary) of notable Muslim saints, a sandal parade is organised in their remembrance.
Hindus are the only people who are allowed admission to the Trimbakeshwar temple, which is well-known as one of Lord Shiva’s 12 Jyotirlingas. After security guards successfully stopped the group from entering the holy place, the temple management filed a police report. Videos of the incident quickly went popular on social media, bringing attention to the issue.
According to Matin Sayyed, the organiser of Sandal, they have been presenting the chadar to Lord Shiva on the day of Sandal for many years and do not enter the temple. He asserted that the accused individuals merely carried the chadar to the temple steps and never attempted to offer it to the Shivling.