BJP, VHP hold protest march in Rajasthan against Alwar temple demolition, demand Ashok Gehlot's resignation

Alwar, April 27: Days after the demolition of a 300-year-old temple in Rajgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), VHP, and several Hindu organisations took out an 'Aakash rally' in Rajasthan, demanding the reconstruction of the temples at the same site.

 

 

BJP leader and Alwar MP Mahant Balaknath, along with his supporters, also took part in the ‘Aakash rally’. The rally started from the Shaheed Smaarak and the protest march ended at the district collector’s office. The protesters gave a memorandum to the collector.

 

Apart from the reconstruction of the temple, the protestors also demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. "We are holding this march to stop the Rajasthan government from propagating appeasement politics. In our memorandum, we have demanded strict action against involved officers, construction of the demolished temple...CM Gehlot should resign too," said BJP MP Balak Nath.

 

The three temples including a 300-year-old Shiva temple and 86 shops were demolished on April 17-18 in Alwar district’s Rajgarh as part of an "anti-encroachment drive" to widen a road in the municipal town. While one of the temples was completely demolished, another was partially demolished and its sanctum sanctorum is safe, as per officials.

 

 

 

Locals said that the authorities did not let the idols in the temple be removed. They said the demolition was approved by the Rajgarh Nagar Palika Board.

 

Following the outrage, the state government suspended the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the region Keshav Kumar Meena and other officials on Monday. Besides the SDM, Rajgarh Municipality Board's chairman Satish Duharia and executive officer (EO) of the Nagar panchayat Banwari Lal Meena were also suspended.

 

 

On Saturday, a five-member BJP committee headed by the party’s state president Satish Poonia visited Rajgarh in Alwar where the two temples were removed by bulldozers by the Rajgarh Nagar Palika. BJP MP Sumedhanand Saraswati Monday sought the Rajasthan government's apology over the demolition of the temples in Alwar and demanded that they rebuild them.

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