AMN /Ghaziabad
UP Police on Sunday dispersed supporters of controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand, who wanted to hold a ‘mahapanchayat’ outside the Dasna temple in his favor.
The administration did not permit the ‘mahapanchayat’ as prohibitory orders were in place.
Narsinghanand Saraswati Foundation general secretary Dr Udita Tyagi had sought the permission for the ‘mahapanchyat’.
All the roads connecting the temple from villages and the city were barricaded since morning as a precautionary measure.
Some of the priest’s followers tried to remove the barricades to reach the temple but police chased them.
Several purported videos of the incident went viral on social media in which policemen were seen using batons to disperse the crowd.
Tyagi also staged a sit-in protest at the temple’s gate along with seers, alleging devotees were beaten up by police outside the temple.
BJP MLA from Loni, Nand Kishore Gurjar, also came in Narsinghanand’s support and tried to go to the temple. After the police stopped him, he sat on the highway and held a ‘panchayat’.
Tyagi, in a video released on social media, leveled allegations that police put the followers, who wanted to join the ‘mahapanchayat’, under house arrest on Saturday night.
“Two saints have also been arrested by police from the temple. Several followers of the priest have also been arrested while they were trying to reach the temple,” she said.