Cops in priest attire at Kashi Temple, Akhilesh Yadav asks 'who gave orders?'

In an attempt to manage the increasing number of devotees at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, police officers have been deployed at the venue dressed as priests. The move triggered controversy with Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav condemning it and questioning the Uttar Pradesh government.

“According to which ‘police manual’ is it correct to have policemen dressed as priests? Those who give such orders should be suspended. If tomorrow any thug takes advantage of this and loots the innocent public, then what will the UP government and administration answer? Condemnable,” his X post, roughly translated from Hindi, read.

Speaking to Good News Today, Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Aggarwal, said the initiative has been taken to not only manage the heavy inflow of devotees, but also help them have a good view of the deity on their visit to the temple.

“Devotees from various parts of the country visit the temple every day. We want them to go back with a positive feeling and achieve a sense of fulfilment regarding their visit. However, as the crowd is also extreme on a daily basis, we need to ensure that it keeps moving so that everyone can have a good glance at the deity,” he told Good News Today.

Mohit Aggarwal said that it is common for devotees to complain about police officers’ ill-treatment, leading them to leave the temple in a negative state of mind. “Devotees often complain about police officers pushing them during their temple visit. However, they easily listen to priests as they feel respect and warmth towards them,” the Varanasi Police Commissioner explained the decision behind the initiative.

The cops dressed as priests inside the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi. (Photo: India Today)

Mohit Aggarwal said that police officers dressed as priests would follow a ‘no-touch policy’ so that devotees no longer complain about pushing or other forms of ill-treatment. There are police officers – both male and female – in uniform as well, but they have been deployed outside the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Thier primary responsibility is to ensure the crowd keeps moving.

He further told Good News Today that to strictly enforce the ‘no-touch policy’ and keep the crowd moving, a circle will be made with rope during the VIP movement. This will make sure that devotees automatically stay at a certain distance without being pushed.

Mohit Aggarwal said that police officers deployed for temple duty would undergo training for three days beforehand, in which, they will be trained to be soft-spoken, and speak basic English to communicate with non-Hindi speaking devotees, among others. A helpdesk is also being arranged within the temple premises by the district administration.

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