Seers, lawyers file police complaints over Ram Temple donation skit in Parliament

Police complaints have been filed in Varanasi against Purnia MP Pappu Yadav over a protest act on the alleged theft of donations from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, with seers and lawyers accusing the parliamentarians of hurting Hindu religious sentiments.

The controversy erupted after Yadav arrived at the Parliament complex dressed as a monk on Friday and enacted the alleged embezzlement of temple donations. Several Opposition leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, participated in the act.

Seers submitted a written complaint at Varanasi’s Kotwali police station, while a group of lawyers approached the Cantonment police seeking legal action against Yadav and Gandhi.

Jagadguru Balak Das Devacharya, head priest of Patalpuri Math, alleged that the protest had insulted Lord Ram, the saffron robe and the seer community. He warned that religious leaders would launch widespread protests if action was not taken against those involved.

Gaurav Banswal, Deputy Commissioner of Police for the Kashi Zone, confirmed that the authorities had received a complaint after videos of Yadav’s performance surfaced on social media. He clarified that the complaint submitted by the seers currently named Yadav.

Separately, lawyers staged a demonstration in Varanasi and demanded that a case be registered against both Yadav and Gandhi. Advocate Vineet Kumar Singh said they had submitted a formal police complaint alleging an insult to Sanatan Dharma.

A similar complaint was filed at Delhi’s Jahangirpuri police station on Friday, accusing Yadav of offending religious sentiments during the Parliament protest.

Seers and Hindu organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad, also held demonstrations in different parts of the country, alleging that Yadav’s act had insulted Sanatan Dharma.

With IANS inputs