Devotees made to return from Deoghar borders; rituals streamed online
In a bid to check the entry of devotees, Deoghar district administration recently set up check posts at 12 entry points.
Devotees turning up from Bihar and different parts of Jharkhand to offer prayers at Baba Baidyanath Dham temple in the religious town of Deoghar on the first day of the holy month of Shravan were stopped on the Deoghar border, police said on Monday.
However, devotees watched the morning ritual at Dwadas Jyotirlingam in Deoghar live on JharGov TV and various social medial platforms on Monday.
In a bid to check the entry of devotees, Deoghar district administration recently set up check posts at 12 entry points. Many devotees on the Bihar-Jharkhand border and Giridih-Deoghar border were made to return on Monday after being denied permission to enter the religious town. Several devotees, who carried Gangajal from Sultanganj in Bihar were found offering the holy water at a pillar in Dumma on the Jharkhand-Bihar border after they were not allowed to cross the border.
The administration tightened security measures after the Jharkhand high court last week denied permission for holding the annual month-long Shravani fair and opening of two temples at Deoghar and Dumka during the month of Shravan.
“Devotees are turning up but there is no rush, as the message has been conveyed. Some devotees who came on Monday were not allowed to enter Deoghar,” said superintendent of police (SP) Piyush Pandey.
He said they are in touch with the Bhagalpur SP, who is also making efforts to make devotees aware about the restrictions. “We are also making announcements on the Jharkhand-Bihar border, urging devotees to return, as they will not be allowed to enter Deoghar,” he said.
Pandey said they have deployed security personnel at 12 entry points on the inter-state and the inter-district borders. “Five private vehicles carrying devotees were coming from Giridih district’s Bengabad area but they were made to return from the border,” he said.
In the main temple premises, only priests were allowed to enter on Monday morning. Security personnel were also around the temple area.
Meanwhile, Dumka administration has also sealed its border with West Bengal in a bid to stop the devotees to enter the town for offering prayers at the Basukinath temple.
However, Deoghar and Dumka administrations offered virtual ‘darshan’ of Lord Shiva to devotees.
Officials ensured live streaming of morning prayers and worship on both the administrations’ websites and various social media platforms.
