Uttarakhand priest booked for not allowing Dalit couple entry to temple

The bride’s father Nakul Dal lodged a complaint with the revenue police

A priest has been booked in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal after he did not allow the wedding of a Dalit couple on temple premises, according to a report by Indian Express.

The FIR was registered under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act on March 12 after the father of the bride filed a complaint alleging that they were denied entry into the temple.

Sub-inspector Rakesh Bisht told Indian Express that the priest, Nagendra Selwal, allegedly abused when the couple approached him on the morning of March 5. “The couple, Ankita and Ajay, could not get married on time and people in the area had to intervene,” Bisht told IE.

Bisht said a local person called him and reported that Selwal had locked the doors and denied entry to the couple based on their caste. “I called Selwal and asked him to let them enter,” he said.

The bride’s father Nakul Dal lodged a complaint with the revenue police and an FIR was registered against Selwal and his associate, Nitish Khediyal.

A resident of the village, Nitin Kainthola, told IE that the yagyashala, where weddings are conducted, is never locked in the day. “It was unusual to see it locked when the party approached. The priest did not want them to enter. However, this has never happened before and the family wanted the wedding there because they were poor. When this happened, the temple committee informed the patwari, who resolved the issue.”

Due to financial constraints, the families reportedly decided to hold the wedding at the Adishakti Maa Bhuvaneshwari Temple in Sanguda Bilkhet.

However, following the intervention of the revenue police, the temple door was finally opened and the wedding took place. District Magistrate Dr Ashish Chauhan has ordered that the case be transferred to the regular police for further investigation.

In January 2023, a Dalit man was attacked for entering a temple in Uttarkashi.