Members of some Hindu organisations performed the purification of the Shiv temple in Dadri village in Daurala, Meerut, where a Muslim man, Qasim, was found living by posing as a Hindu priest. The temple purification was performed using Ganagajal, performing the Jalabhishek of the Shiv Lingam and reciting the Hanuman Chalisa.
Locals and the Hindu organisation expressed outrage against the desecration of the temple. Sachin Sirohi, a member of a Hindu organisation expressed the suspicion that this could be a conspiracy to deliberately hurt the sentiments of Hindus, including thousands of Kanwar Yatris who pass through the area during the Kanwar Yatra in the holy month of Sawan. Notably, this year’s Kanwar Yatra recently concluded on 23rd July.
Qasim had been living in the Shiv temple for about six months by faking his real identity and posing as a Hindu priest named Krishna. A resident of Sitamarhi, Bihar, Qasim used to dress like a Hindu priest by wearing saffron robes. He lied to people that he was from Delhi. To convince them about his fake identity, he used to perform tasks typically done by temple priests, such as reading palms and offering advice to devotees, further deepening the deception.
After noticing some inconsistencies in his behaviour, locals grew suspicious. When they questioned him about his background, he could not provide any satisfactory answers. When suspicious locals kept questioning him about his identity, Qasim disappeared from the temple for about 15 days on the pretext of bringing his Aadhaar Card. However, he returned later and failed to provide any evidence of his Hindu identity.
When further questioned, he finally confessed that he was not a Hindu priest but a Muslim named Qasim from Bihar. As soon as his real identity was revealed, the locals alerted the police, who arrested Qasim. A case was registered against him under the relevant provisions of law. An investigation is going on in the case.
