Madhya Pradesh: Controversial Eviction of Erstwhile Royal Family Member from Historic Temple Sparks Social Media Uproar

Bhopal— The internet was abuzz with a video of a lady in white clothes being pulled out of the sanctum sanctorum of a temple in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami. According to media reports, the lady, Jiteshwari Devi, belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Panna, which built the temple. This was confirmed by the lady herself before going to jail. A royal family member, Jiteshwari Devi, allegedly misbehaved during the Janmashtami puja at the historic Jugal Kishore temple while in an inebriated condition. The incident took place around 12:15 am during Krishna Janmashtami. Jiteshwari Devi, the queen, who attended the Krishna Janmotsav, tried to enter the sanctum sanctorum, and when she was stopped, she misbehaved. She was dragged out of the temple. After the arrest, the Queen was taken to court, where her bail application was rejected. She alleged that she is being targeted because of embezzlement to the tune of Rs 65 crore in the Defence Welfare Fund.

The Tradition Which Forbids Women from Performing the Rituals

Shri Krishna Janmashtami Mahotsav was celebrated late Thursday night at the historical Jugal Kishore Temple in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh. The priests were moving the Chaunvarar (a fan made of silk thread) as the doors of the temple opened. Jiteshwari Devi had an argument with the priest over the Chaunvar. She yanked the Chawar from his hands to perform the ritual herself. She was dragged out by men when she tried to enter the sanctum, and she fell in the process. Female police officers took her out of the temple. SP Sai Krishna S Thota told the media persons that as per the tradition, the men from the royal family have to offer the Chauvar ritual. But since the husband of Jiteshwari Devi died a few years ago, her son was supposed to perform the ritual in keeping with the tradition. However, Jiteshwari Devi herself went ahead and performed the act. A medical examination will be conducted on Jiteshwari Devi to check if she was in an inebriated state. Temple priest Santosh Tiwari also described the incident as sad.

Widowhood of the Queen, the Putative Reason Behind the Dispute

According to a report, being a widow, Queen Jiteshwari Devi is forbidden from performing the rituals in the temple as per the family traditions. Defying the traditions, she went ahead and performed the rituals. The people there protested against this, and she was pulled out of the sanctum. The queen also argued with the police when they tried to control her. She was taken out of the temple with the help of the police.

What Does the Investigating Officer Say?

DSP Rajeev Bhadauria said that the temple committee has filed a complaint against Jiteshwari Devi, on the basis of which the queen has been booked under sections 295-A and 353.

This incident created a huge uproar in the midnight after the video of the police taking Jiteshwari Devi out of the temple surfaced on social media.

Queen Alleges Conspiracy Against Her

After arresting Jiteshwari Devi, the police presented her before the judge in court, where her bail application was rejected, and she was sent to jail. While going to jail, Panna Maharani made allegations of embezzlement of Defense Welfare Fund worth Rs 65 thousand crores. According to media reports, Queen Jiteshwari Devi said that this is the second time a conspiracy has been hatched against her, and she cited the embezzlement of 65 thousand crores of the welfare fund as the reason for this.