In the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, a young Muslim man named Sher Khan entered a Hindu Mandir on the morning of September 23 and threatened to attack it. He also assaulted the Mahant of the Ram Mandir, which is located near Retia Bazaar and is under the Raya Police Station’s area.
Sher Khan attacked Mahant Arun Chaudhary and is also accused of throwing stones at the Hindu Mandir. He threatened the Mahant not to open the Mandir and insisted that the land belonged to Muslims. While some claim that Sher Khan is mentally unstable, a view supported by the police, the Mahant and Hindu rights activists have denied this claim.
Mathura, UP: Sher Khan attacked Ram Mandir, tried to break its gate, and allegedly attempted to murder the Mahant.
The Mahant claims that during the attack, Sher Khan threatened him to leave the Mandir and its land and never return.
The police, however, claim that Khan is… pic.twitter.com/5KyooIlABs
— Treeni (@treeni) September 23, 2024
In videos of the incident that went viral online, Sher Khan is seen trying to attack the Mahant after he locked himself inside the Mandir. In his anger, Sher Khan kicked the gate but couldn’t get it open. He shouted abusive language at the Mahant, claiming, “this temple is ours” and warned him not to open the Mandir the next day. After the attacker left, Mahant Arun Chaudhary reported the incident to the police.
Soon after, Hindu rights groups and local BJP leaders arrived at the Mandir and then went to the Raya Police Station to protest. They were upset about how a police officer spoke to Mahant Arun when he called 112, accusing him of being drunk. The protesters also demanded that Sher Khan be arrested.
After receiving the information, SP Rural Triguna Visen and Area Officer Mahavan Bhushan Verma arrived at the scene to calm the angry crowd. They assured them that Sher Khan would be arrested and that action would be taken against the police officer who misbehaved. Later, a case was filed at Raya Police Station based on Mahant Arun Chaudhary’s complaint, and Sher Khan was arrested. The police mentioned that they have received reports suggesting he is mentally unstable, but an investigation is still ongoing.
#CO_MAHAVAN_MTA द्वारा थाना राया क्षेत्रान्तर्गत राम मंदिर के महंत से हुई मारपीटकी घटना के सम्बन्ध में दी गई बाईट ।@Uppolice @igrangeagra @adgzoneagra pic.twitter.com/bCACsVLGQT
— MATHURA POLICE (@mathurapolice) September 23, 2024
In a video, Mahant Chaudhary explained what happened on September 23. He claimed that Sher Khan is pretending to be mentally ill and questioned why he hasn’t attacked or misbehaved with any Muslim person, only Hindus. “He is fooling everyone,” Chaudhary said.
