E-Paper
Temple trust yet to receive recovered jewels
DESPITE THE recovery of stolen gold, silver and other ornaments of the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple on January 22, 1983, the temple trust has yet to get these items.
DESPITE THE recovery of stolen gold, silver and other ornaments of the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple on January 22, 1983, the temple trust has yet to get these items.
Senior Samajwadi Party leader and general secretary of Citizens Forum, Shatrudh Prakash, has demanded that Temple Trust should get the stolen items back and put them where placed before January 5, 1983 (the day these items were stolen).
“Since the matter is related with the religious and spiritual faith of the devotees, the temple trust should make serious efforts to get back the recovered items from the administration and place them at the right place,” he said.
Prakash, also a former Transport Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said even the court had freed the recovered stolen items in favour of the temple in 2002 but no efforts were done by the temple trust to get the precious items back.
Shatrudh Prakash had forwarded a letter to the Commissioner of Varanasi division, who is also chairman of the executive committee of the temple trust, on August 7, 2006 in this regard. He also forwarded a letter to the Principal Secretary Religious Affairs on August 11.
It may be mentioned that the precious jewels of Kashi Vishwanath temple, including 2.55 kg gold from Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, around 6 to 9 kg silver and other ornaments had been stolen on January 5, 1983, which sparked massive demonstrations in Varanasi at that time.
An FIR was lodged with Chowk police station by the then Pujari of the temple, Sardaru. Later, the police recovered the stolen items and arrested 11 accused, including main culprit Markandey Singh, from Chakia in Chandauli district on January 22, 1983.
The local court of Varanasi, ACJM IInd on September 7, 2000 had punished all the culprits for stealing precious items of Kashi Vishawanath temple and also issued an order to free the stolen items in favour of the temple.
The Additional Session Court of Varanasi had rejected the appeal of accused and maintained the decision of ACJM court on June 16, 2002.
