Yahoo Finance ‘Non-Hindus not allowed', say banners at Uttarakhand temples
Banners emblazoned with the legend 'Non-Hindus Not Allowed' have come up in over 150 temples in Dehradun, capital of Uttarakhand.
The banners have reportedly been put up by a fringe outfit called Hindu Yuva Vahini, whose members are planning to put up such banners in temples across thes state of Uttarakhand.
This comes in the wake of an incident in Ghaziabad where a 13-year-old Muslim boy was beaten up for entering the Dasna Devi temple premises.
The temple board says that a banner saying ‘Muslims are not allowed inside’ was put up on the directions of the temple’s head priest (mahant) Yati Narasimhanand Saraswati, and since the boy went inside to drink water, he was thrashed.
Jeetu Randhawa, Uttarakhand general secretary of Hindu Yuva Vahini, said that the step has been taken to extend support to Yati Narasimhanand Saraswati.
"The temple is a revered place for people who believe in the Sanatan Dharma and, hence, only those people who belong to this religion will be allowed inside," said Randhawa.
Meanwhile, India Today quoted the Uttarakhand Police as saying that efforts are being made to remove these banners. Referring to the matter, Dehradun Kotwali police told news agency ANI that the banner outside a temple in Ghanta Ghar has been removed and a case registered under Sec 153A of the IPC against the person whose number was on the banner.
Meanwhile, the Hindu Yuva Vahini threatened that if any ‘non-Hindus’ enter the temples, they will be thrashed and handed over to the police.
