Madhya Pradesh: Dhirendra Shastri’s Brother Invades Home, Assaults Women and Minor

Bhopal: The brother of self-styled spiritual guru Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, popularly known as Bageshwar Dham Sarkar allegedly assaulted a family — injuring women. Based on a complaint, the police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Shaligram Garg and his two accomplices for their purported involvement in the attack and hooliganism.

The complainant has been registered by none other than the family of Jeetu Tiwari — the caretaker of Bageshwar Dham, a pilgrimage site in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district of which Shastri is the chief priest.

Garg, along with his associates, reportedly entered Tiwari’s house and thrashed the women occupants with sticks and rods. A minor girl’s hand was fractured, and serious injuries were inflicted on the heads of other women.

The elderly members of the house were also allegedly subjected to assault. It is worth mentioning that serious allegations have been leveled against Shastri’s brother in the past as well. Several cases are registered against him.

Chhattarpur Additional Superintendent of Police Vikram Singh confirmed the occurrence of the incident and said a case of assault has been registered against Garg, Kuldeep Thakur and Sanjeev Singh Parmar based on one Munni Tiwari’s complaint from Gadha village.

“We are investigating the video footage of the incident. The complainant has stated that Garg, accompanied by some people from the village, barged into the house and indulged in physical assault,” he told The Mooknayak.

The complainant mentioned the goons accompanying Garg beat the elderly, children and women in the house.

Meanwhile, a member of the Madhya Pradesh Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Omkar Singh, said they too have received information with regard to assault on a minor girl in the incident.

“We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure that appropriate action is taken against the culprits,” he said.

Video of Assault Goes Viral

A purported video of the assault has also surfaced on social media, showing some individuals wielding sticks and issuing threats.

Tiwari too has released a video, accusing Shastri’s brother of indulging in the assault. He claims to have previously lived with Garg, who is allegedly involved in several wrongful activities — leading him to sever ties with the accused. And therefore, his family were subjected to assault.

Serial Offender?

This is not the first criminal case against Garg. He was previously booked for brandishing weapons at a Dalit family’s wedding ceremony in Gadha village. He was later booked under sections 294A, 323A, 506A, 427 and under the SC/ST Act.

Earlier this year, he was accused of assaulting a toll plaza employee. On April 25, a case was once again registered against him for allegedly assaulting and threatening a toll collector.

While crossing the Mungwari Toll Plaza under ​​the jurisdiction of Gulganj police station, a verbal argument ensued with the toll collector over some issue, which escalated into a physical altercation.

After the incident, a complaint was lodged against him at the Gulganj police station, following which the police filed an FIR against Garg, Lokesh Garg, Jeetu Tiwari and 10 others.

It is reported that the incident of assault was not captured on CCTV. The allegation was that the toll collector stopped his vehicle and demanded toll tax, he allegedly resorted to physical violence.

The police registered a case against him and his companions under sections 323, 294, 506, 427 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In 2023, during the wedding of a Dalit girl, Garg was accused of assaulting and brandishing a firearm. It also led to registration of an FIR against him. The police charged him under the Arms Act.