Liquor bottles recovered at Bodh Gaya temple premises: Police
According to police officials, some “unwanted things” might be getting inside the temple premises along with the materials supplied for the cops deployed within the temple campus
The Bihar police recovered a dozen liquor bottles from the Mahabodhi temple in Bihar’s Bodh Gaya, superintendent of police (SSP) Harpreet Kaur said on Wednesday.
The incident comes after a day when at least seven people died and many others were hospitalised in a hooch tragedy in Saran district on Tuesday.
According to the police, some of these liquor bottles were found thrown away under the bushes in an area close to the barrack and mess of the cops deployed there, while some others were learnt to have been recovered from the bag of a police officer.
Bihar has been a dry state since 2016 and for this step chief minister Nitish Kumar has been hailed especially by the women in the state.
However, the recovery of liquor bottles inside the temple is a shock to the administration as Dalai Lama, the highest spiritual leader of the Tibetans is expected to visit the holy town by the end of the year.
The Mahabodhi temple is the site where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment and it’s now one of the UNESCO world heritage sites. The temple is run and managed by the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), and the security within the temple premises is managed by the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP).
“We had input regarding some kind of violations on the temple premises following which a search operation was conducted today by the police during which nearly half a dozen wine bottles were recovered from the bag of a cop,” the SSP said.
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The bottles recovered from the cop’s bag were empty, the SSP added saying, however, “…we have asked for departmental proceedings against the cop.”
Besides, some empty wine bottles were also recovered near the barrack and mess, she said. A team of experts has been formed to find out the facts and truths behind it, added SSP Kaur.
“Though there always is the thrust on security at the temple because of the maximum flow of foreign tourists, it has come under special focus because of the expected visit of Dalai Lama in late December,” the SSP said.
According to police officials, some “unwanted things” might be getting inside the temple premises along with the materials supplied for the cops deployed within the temple campus.
“There’s high security at the entrance of the Mahabodhi and nothing is allowed without scanning. The unwanted things might have been passed on from that side,” she said.
Dinu Kumar, a tourist guide at Bodh Gaya, said the recovery of wine bottles from the Mahabodhi temple campus was a serious lapse on the part of the officials authorised to handle security. “It will tarnish the image of the world heritage site,” he said.
