Former Royal Figure Detained for Unauthorized Entry into Madhya Pradesh Temple’s Inner Sanctum

Bhopal: During the Janmashtami festivities, an unexpected twist occurred when Maharani Jiteshwari Devi, a member of Madhya Pradesh’s Panna family found herself embroiled in controversy and subsequently arrested for allegedly offending religious sentiments. The incident unfolded as she tried to enter the sanctum of a temple, causing uproar, among the temple priests and devotees.

A video that went viral on media captured the moment when Maharani attempted to perform a ritual inside the temple during Janmashtami. However, she was forcibly removed from the area with temple priests accusing her of misconduct and being under the influence.

In her defence, Maharani asserted that her actions were motivated by an intention to expose a scam. She claimed to have faced insults and mistreatment from both the police and temple authorities during this incident.

According to Santosh Kumar Tiwari, an administrator at the temple, it had been a tradition for male members of the family to exclusively perform this ritual on Janmashtami for three centuries. He mentioned that Maharani Jiteshwari Devi’s son had been invited but did not attend. Therefore her entrance into the temple and subsequent conduct were seen as disruptive, to Lord Krishna’s sacred aarti.

Sai Krishna Thota, Pannas Police Superintendent, stated that Maharani Devi was initially allowed to participate in the midnight aarti. As she tried to enter the chamber, the devotees strongly opposed her actions. Eventually, policewomen, who were there to handle the crowd, escorted her away.