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Banke Bihari Temple HPC member alleges threats, files FIR; Goswami women call it ‘false’
A High Power Committee member for the Banke Bihari Temple seeks police protection after threats from Goswami community women amid management disputes.
A member of the High Power Committee (HPC) constituted by the Supreme Court for the management of the Banke Bihari Temple has sought police protection after alleging that he received threats from women belonging to the Goswami community who reportedly reached his residence on Sunday. An FIR has been registered at the Vrindavan police station in Mathura based on his complaint.
Dinesh Goswami is one of the four members from Goswami community named in the High Power Committee constituted by the Supreme Court to oversee the management of affairs at the Banke Bihari Temple.
The committee has introduced changes in the arrangements for devotees at the temple and had earlier ordered the opening of the previously closed ‘toshkhana’ (room), a move that reportedly drew resentment from sections of the Goswami community involved in managing the temple’s affairs.
Dinesh Goswami has lodged an FIR at the Vrindavan police station under sections 191(2) (rioting), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 351(2) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and 333 (house trespass) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), against Ankit Goswami, Goverdhan Goswami, and Renu Goswami, along with 15 unidentified women.
According to Dinesh Goswami, at around 1:38 pm on Sunday, Renu Goswami along with 15 other women reached his residence and allegedly forced their way into a beauty parlour being run there by a tenant, Chetna. He claimed that Chetna informed them he was not at home and had travelled to Jaipur.
“These women from Goswami families, accompanied by a few men named in the FIR, used abusive language against me and threatened that they would hit me with shoes whenever I return to Vrindavan. They said I should stay away from the efforts being made for the Banke Bihari Corridor or face consequences,” Dinesh Goswami alleged.
“In these circumstances, it is very difficult for me to attend the High Power Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday in Vrindavan, and I will stay away from the meeting,” Goswami stated.
However, in protest against the FIR lodged against them, women from the Goswami community staged a demonstration at the gate of the Banke Bihari Temple on Monday. One of the protesters claimed that the FIR was based on incorrect facts and asserted that no threats had been issued to Dinesh Goswami.
“We had only gone to present our side before Dinesh Goswami, who represents our community in the High Power Committee, but he was not there, so we returned. No threats, as alleged, were issued,” said one of the protesting women from the Goswami community.
Another woman alleged, “The FIR is part of a conspiracy to pressure members of the Goswami community into executing sale deeds of their properties for the Banke Bihari corridor project. We have been trying to put forward our viewpoint before the High Power Committee, of which Dinesh Goswami is our representative, but he is not listening to us and has now resorted to filing a false FIR.”
The High Power Committee for the Banke Bihari Temple is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, and the issue is likely to come up for discussion during the proceedings.
The High Power Committee for the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan has been proactive, repeatedly flagging issues of alleged financial irregularities at the temple as highlighted in an audit report by a chartered accountant. These actions have reportedly put sections of the Goswami community under scrutiny.
The high-powered management committee was constituted by the Supreme Court in August 2025 to address long-standing concerns related to the temple’s administration and governance.
