VHP opposes government takeover of temple in HP

Shimla, Oct 22 (UNI) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has opposed the Himachal Pradesh government's recent decision to take over a temple run by its trust at Rampur in this district of the state.

''The government has not issued any notice about the intended takeover against the temple, about 132 km from here, and there is strong resentment against the move,'' Satyanaryan Mandir Kapoor Trust (SMKT) president Surinder Ranta told UNI here.

The state government had issued a notification on October 10 announcing the taking over of the temple by the Bhimakali Temple Trust (BTT) following which its donation chest was taken over and its office locked on Saturday.

Alleging that the takeover was politically motivated since it was run by a trust under the VHP, Mr Ranta said the government officials came to the temple office at about 1600 hrs on Saturday and took over the possession of the money chest and locked its office.

''We only came to know about the taking over of the temple by the government-run Bhimakali Temple Trust (BTT) after the officials locked the office.'' He said the temple authorities have already registered their objection to the takeover in writing besides initiating steps to challenge it in a court of law.

The SMKT has also a lodged a complaint with the state's chief electoral officer (CEO), alleging that it was a clear case of violation of the model code of conduct.

UNI