Police in Madhya Pradesh have filed an FIR against BJP MP Chintamani Malviya for abusing a cop on duty and misbehaving with him while entering a temple on Friday. Meanwhile, the video of Malviya using expletives at the entrance of a Hindu temple has gone viral on social media platforms.
According to media reports, Madhya Pradesh’s incumbent chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan had arrived at Ujjan’s Mahakaleshwar Temple for a visit. Soon after Chouhan entered the temple for prayers, Malviya too arrived there with his supporters and insisted on entering the temple through the VIP gate.
The cop was reluctant to open the VIP gate for Malviya and his men. This left them angry as they began to hurl abuses at the policeman on duty. One of Malviya’s supporters is heard in the video as saying, “He’s the honourable MP, saale.”
If that was not enough, the MP himself was seen misbehaving with the cop as he forcibly removed the barricade outside the temple. Soon after entering the temple compound, Malviya stopped and targeted the cop with more abuses. He said, “I will f**k your mother.”
Malviya has now been booked for violating the model code of conduct, causing obstruction in the work of public servants and the Mahakaleshwar Act. Eight of his associates too have been booked under the same sections.
Madhya Pradesh went to polls on 28 November. The counting will take place on 11 December.
Malviya’s video has evoked angry reactions from social media users, many of whom are detecting a glaring hypocrisy of the BJP as they link the episode to that of the much-touted claims of the saffron party being projected as the saviour of Hinduism.
One user wrote, “And he belongs to a party, which claims to protect Hinduism. This is how he shows his respect to Hindu temples.” Writer, Ravi Nair sarcastically wrote, “BJP MP from Ujjain Chintamani Malviya reciting sacred Mantras and blessing a cop on duty while entering a temple.” User Gurjar wrote, “This is the famous Mahakaleshwar temple of Ujjain. He should have respected the sanctity of the temple if not the policeman.”