Varanasi: A case has been registered against nine persons for allegedly spreading rumours that the Kashi Vishwanath (KV) temple administration was charging a fee for ‘sparsh darshan’ of the presiding deity.
The police spokesman said that an FIR has been lodged under sections 153-A (disturbing communal harmony), 295 (insulting religion) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and the relevant sections of the IT Act on the basis of a complaint filed by temple official Arvind Shukla.
According to the complainant, a few persons visited the temple on March 2, a day before ‘Rangbhari Ekadashi’.
As one of them, Ajay Sharma, donated Rs 500 to the temple, he was given a donation slip at the temple’s counter located on the premises of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, a police official said.
A picture of the slip was posted on a social media platform, which was shared multiple times, thus creating the rumour, the complainant said.
Giving a clarification, the temple administration said no fee was being charged from devotees for ‘sparsh darshan’.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
