Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari booked for 'forced entry' into Deoghar temple; will surrender, says Dubey

'Will go straight to the police station for my arrest,' Dubey says, also remarking that it is the 51st case filed against him.

A day after being named in an FIR for allegedly forcing his way into the sanctum sanctorum of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar during the ‘Shravan Mela’, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, on Friday, announced he would surrender to Jharkhand Police on Saturday.

The FIR has been filed at the Baba Baidyanath Mandir Police Station against Dubey, along with other BJP MPs, including Manoj Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey, and others for allegedly entering the temple’s inner sanctum, violating religious traditions, hurting sentiments, and obstructing government work by scuffling with police deployed for security, as per an officer cited by PTI.

The complaint alleges that their “forcible entry” and altercation with security personnel triggered fear and panic among thousands of devotees, leading to a stampede-like situation.

Taking to microblogging site X, Dubey wrote, “This case has been registered for worshipping… Tomorrow, I will go straight to the police station from Deoghar airport for my arrest,” also remarking that it was the 51st case filed against him.

पूजा करने के कारण यह केस है,अभी तक 51 केस मेरे उपर दर्ज है । कल देवघर एयरपोर्ट से सीधे पुलिस स्टेशन जाकर गिरफ़्तारी दूँगा https://t.co/75wzLi8jFY

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) August 8, 2025

The FIR, lodged on August 7 by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur, accuses Dubey, Tiwari, Kanshikanat Dubey, Sheshadri Dubey, and others of entering the inner shrine between 8.45 p.m. and 9 p.m. on August 2 despite a ban on VIP and VVIP entries during ‘Shravan’ owing to the heavy influx of devotees.

According to the police, the group’s “forcible entry” and a scuffle with security personnel allegedly disrupted rituals, hurt religious sentiments, and caused panic among thousands of pilgrims, triggering a stampede-like situation.

Thakur has alleged that the MPs breached tradition during the ‘kancha jal puja’ ritual, causing the chaos.

The Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, has so far seen around 55 lakh ‘kanwariyas’ offer holy Ganga water this season, as devotees undertake the 105-kilometre pilgrimage from Sultanganj in Bihar to Deoghar in Jharkhand.