5 security guards, Ujjain temple staffer forge passes to allow devotees entry for ritual

Police have registered a case against five security guards of a private company and an employee of the Mahakaleshwar Temple here for allegedly forging passes to facilitate entry of some devotees to attend an important early morning ritual of the shrine, an official said on Wednesday.

The two-hour ritual, ''Bhasma Aarti'', is much sought after event for devotees at the Lord Shiva temple, one of the 12 jyotirlingas in the country. It is performed at 4 am with the opening of the temple.

Following a complaint by the temple management, police on Tuesday filed the case against five private guards, engaged in security of the shrine, besides an employee of the temple's Satkar Shakha (branch dealing with hospitality), the official said.

The Mahakal Police, under whose jurisdiction the temple is located, booked them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.

The official said the private guards and the temple staffer issued forged passes of ''Bhasma Aarti'' to some devotees staying in a hotel near the shrine by charging additional money on Monday.

The temple management is headed by the district collector.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)