Bhojshala row: Saffron outfits boycott meeting

The saffron organizations boycotted a meeting with ADGP and Indore zone IG Vipin Maheshwari, which had been called to discuss the issues related to offering pooja and namaz at the disputed Bhojshala on Basant Panchami.

The saffron organizations boycotted a meeting with ADGP and Indore zone IG Vipin Maheshwari, which had been called to discuss the issues related to offering pooja and namaz at the disputed Bhojshala on Basant Panchami.

Heavy police security outside Bhojshala in Dhar. (File photo)

Maheshwari, who was in Dhar for the second time in 10 days, waited for the saffron organizations, including the Shiv Sena, for half an hour and then left for Indore.

Dharma Jagaran Vibhag head Gopal Sharma said that they boycotted the meeting because the ‘attitude’ of the administration was not positive. Sharma said that they were not happy with the behaviour of the administration on January 24 when Sadhvi Rithambara reached Dhar to address a Dharma Sabha.

“We will first hold a meeting with the chief minister and if there is a positive outcome of the meeting, then we will hold meeting with the local administration,” Sharma said, adding that they had asked the state government to make their stand clear about Basant Panchami.

At present, the saffron organizations have made it clear that they want to offer pooja inside the Bhojshala, which they consider to be Saraswati temple, throughout the day without any break to allow the Muslims to offer their Friday Namaz. In 2013 when Basant Panchami fell on a Friday, the Bhojshala premises had been cleared to allow Muslims to offer namaz.

Earlier, ADGP Maheshwari spent over an hour in the Bhojshala premises with senior officials including the DIG Indore (rural) Abhay Singh, DIG Khargone D K Arya, collector Sriman Shukla and SP Rajesh Hingankar and looked over the security arrangements. He also went inside the Bhoj Kanya school where a control room for Basant Panchami is being made.