Rally begins from Rajrappa demanding temple reopening

Ramgarh: Members of several Hindu outfits led by BJP’s district youth wing took out a foot march to Raj Bhavan in Ranchi from Rajrappa’s Chinnamastika temple on Wednesday. The rally was taken out to demand the reopening of the Chinnamastika temple and other prominent places of worship such as Baidyanath dham in Deoghar and Basukinath temple in Deoghar for the devotees.
The protestors comprised BJP functionaries, priests of the Chinnamastika temple and vendors who sell puja items and memorabilia outside the temple, among others. They are slated to cover 70km on foot and reach Ranchi on Thursday. In Ranchi, they will meet governor Ramesh Bais to raise their demand.
“The state government should reopen prominent temples immediately, taking into account the religious sentiments of the people. Our agitation will intensify if the government does not pay heed to our demands,” BJP youth wing functionary Rajiv Jaiswal said.
Santosh Tiwari, a resident of Gola in Ramgarh, said: “If the government can allow shopping malls, cinema halls and crowded bazars to reopen, then why can’t it reopen the temples? Thousands of people depend on temples for a living. Where will they go?”
Ajay Panda, a senior priest at Chinnamastika temple, said: “Nearly 1,000 vendors have become jobless owing to the lockdown. It has become difficult for the temple management committee to manage the devotees, who are turning up in hundreds and offering their prayers outside the closed temple gates.”