Patna: Police on May 14 arrested a Buddhist practitioner for creating ruckus at the Mahabodhi temple, along with assaulting local shopkeepers in the guise of a protest at Gaya, said an official statement issued by the police.
Bhante Vinacharya, a resident of Muzzaffarnagar, was taken into custody after he, along with his supporters, entered the premises of the Mahabodhi temple, creating a ruckus there. Vinacharya and his supporters also allegedly assaulted shopkeepers and locals who tried resisting their actions.
Vinacharya, a Buddhist practitioner, has already been named in two cases registered against him in May last year and March this year.
According to the complaint lodged by Anuj Kumar Gupta, a resident of Gaya, a group of people attacked him when he reached the gate of Mahabodhi temple on Tuesday evening. The attackers reportedly shouted slogans, abused and encircled Gupta before attacking him. He was eventually evacuated by the security personnel stationed near the gate.
A case regarding the incident has been lodged under various sections of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) against five named and 15-20 unidentified individuals while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has already been formed to probe the incident.
Acting on intelligence input, the police team raided and nabbed Vinacharya while efforts are on to identify and nab the remaining accused.
Protest against Bodhgaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC)
A group of people belonging to Buddhist community have been staging a protest demanding amendments in the BTMC Act, 1949 since February this year. The act was introduced to look after the management of the revered site located at Gaya.
Despite several rounds of talks including with senior officials of the state administration, the protestors (mostly hailing from eastern Uttar Pradesh) have continued with their protest.
They even agreed to call off their protest after the meeting held with the officials on May 10, only to back-off from and continue with their protest. The situation escalated on Tuesday evening when a group of protestors entered the premises and created a ruckus there. They also assaulted locals while raising slogans at the site.
The police rushed to the site and took control of the situation by vacating the temple area. The anguished locals in response organised a peaceful march on Wednesday morning, demanding immediate end to the ongoing protest.
The local shopkeepers also closed their shops in protest, demanding action against those responsible for violence on Tuesday evening. They further urged the authorities to take action against such individuals who intend to harm the reputation of the revered site.
According to the police, preliminary enquiry into the case suggests that a few anti-social elements have highjacked the protest and were indulged in spreading communal tension. They were even involved in causing discomfort to the devotees and tourists on the occasion of Buddh Jayanti. The matter is being further investigated by the authorities.
Earlier in March the police booked two persons after they entered and removed two religious books from a temple located under the premise of Mahabodhi temple. The accused were identified as Pradeep Maurya and Vivek Kant Maurya both residents of Uttar Pradesh.
Read more at: Two arrested for removing religious books from Mahabodhi temple premise in Bodh Gaya…
Both the accused entered the Panch Pandava temple and forcibly removed two religious books from there, despite opposition from the temple priest. The duo then reportedly threw the books in a nearby sacred pond.
The security personnel stationed at the temple premise however gave a chase and nabbed both of them immediately. They were later handed over to police. The accused were booked under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita and sent to judicial custody subsequently. The accused were earlier seen roaming around with banners, opposing the management committee of the Mahabodhi temple.
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