Dhirendra Shastri Denied Permission To Attend Event In Bihar's Vaishali
Bihar police denied Dhirendra Shastri's attendance at a temple consecration ceremony due to safety concerns over an expected massive crowd of 5-7 lakh attendees.
The police in Bihar's Vaishali denied permission to Dhirendra Shastri after he was scheduled to attend a religious event in the district on Wednesday.
He was supposed to attend the consecration ceremony of a temple in the district but expecting a crowd of 5 to 7 lakh people, the police took the step to not allow Shastri come to the event.
The administration estimated attendance of lakhs of people for the event at the Shiv temple which lacks a safe passage or a bridge for the devotees to reach the venue.
The island temple, surrounded by the Ganga River, made it unsafe to hold such a large gathering. Additionally, the event's location lacked sufficient resources to handle the participation of so many attendees making it impractical from a law and order perspective.
Dhirendra Shastri's Message To Followers
The Hajipur police also issued a statement denying reports about Dhirendra Shastri's arrival. Shastri also released a video message explaining the situation and mentioned that due to logistical and administrative issues, he would not be attending the event.
He urged people to make the event a success and also offered prayers mentioning the names of several individuals while praying for the well-being of the people.
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Dhirendra Shastri has previously visited Bihar’s Gaya district twice and was scheduled to visit the Raghopur Diara area in Vaishali district for the third time. However, the administration said that organising the event in this area is not safe.
Speaking on the matter, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Arvind Singh said that it’s not true that permission was denied through the district administration.
"Dhirendra Shastri is a prominent face of Sanatan Dharma and is respected by people across Bihar. The location of the event was near a river, and attendees would have had to cross it to reach the event," Singh said.
The only means of crossing the river are a temporary bridge (Pipa Pul) and boats. Since Dhirendra Shastri has a large following, there was a risk of overcrowding, and to prevent any accidents, the administration decided not to grant permission, he added.
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