Group Of People Thrashes Priest In MP For Being Denied Entry Into Temple After Closing Hours: WATCH

The opposition Congress has claimed that the son of a BJP MLA was part of the group involved in the assault, but police did not confirm the allegation.

A priest was thrashed by a group of people in MP's Dewas for denying them entry into a temple after closing hours.

Source : X@grafidon

A group of around 30 people tried to forcibly enter a famous temple in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas city after it had closed for the night and allegedly beat up its priest as he refused to let them in after closing hours, police said.

The incident took place at the famous Mata Tekri temple in Dewas post-midnight. The priest has alleged that a person named Jitu Raghuvanshi, who has a past criminal record, arrived late Friday night at the temple in a fleet of nearly 10 cars, news agency PTI reported.

The opposition Congress has claimed that the son of a BJP MLA was part of the group involved in the assault, but police did not confirm the allegation.

The complaint was lodged by the priest at the Kotwali police station.

"We close the temple gates by midnight. The group led by Jitu Raghuvanshi came around 12:40 am when I had already shut the gates. When I told them that the temple was closed, they forced me to open the gates and threatened to kill me. They also beat me," the priest told NDTV.

City Superintendent of Police Dinesh Agrawal told PTI on Saturday that the group members allegedly asked the priest to open the gates, and when he refused, he was allegedly abused and beaten up by the mob.

Videos on social media showed a couple of cars with red beacons in the fleet which arrived at the foot of the hilltop temple. 

देवास के चामुंडा मंदिर पहुंचे मंत्रीजी के साहबजादे।
10 कारों का काफिला, लाल बत्ती का रौब।
पट बंद थे, पुजारी के बेटे ने टोका—तो मारपीट कर दी
अब भगवान भी सोच में हैं—
ये दर्शन को आए हैं या दरबार लगाने #घोरकलजुग @jitupatwari pic.twitter.com/MSs4Ia5KtC

— अपूर्व اپوروا Apurva Bhardwaj (@grafidon) April 12, 2025

SP Agrawal said that an FIR was registered against the people involved in the incident and the footage of around 50 CCTV cameras was being examined.

Upon being asked if the son of a BJP leader led the group, the SP said the case was under investigation.

Dewas city Congress president Manoj Rajani said a certain BJP MLA should keep an eye on his son "who did such an act despite being a Sanatani," PTI reported.