Man detained for attacking priest after rumours that he didn’t allow the president into temple
Messages on social media claimed that Ram Nath Kovind was not allowed to enter the temple because of his caste.
The Rajasthan Police arrested a man for allegedly attacking a Hindu priest following rumours on WhatsApp that President Ram Nath Kovind was not allowed to enter a temple in Pushkar.
The social media posts claimed that Kovind, a Dalit, was not allowed to enter because of his caste, The Wire reported.
Pushkar Police officer Mahaveer Sharma said the accused was “mentally unstable”. The accused, identified as Ashok Meghwal, stood in a queue for devotees before he tried to attack the priest. Footage from closed circuit television cameras showed the accused brandishing a weapon for a few minutes. It has raised questions about the security provisions at the temple.
President Ram Nath Kovind and his family had offered prayers outside the Brahma temple in Pushkar on May 15. Members of the Dalit community are often barred from entering various temples across India. Local officials, however, claimed that Kovind did not enter the temple as his wife could not climb the stairs because of a knee injury, IANS reported.
Man attacks priest in Pushkar's Brahma temple alleging that the priest stopped President Kovind from entering the temple. The victim says, 'I wasn't present on that day, otherwise I'd have ensured that he sees the temple. As per Police accused is mentally challanged, #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/xyudlHZdbd
— ANI (@ANI) May 29, 2018