On Saturday, self-styled God man Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, aka Bageshwar-Dham-Sarkar, a Hindu religious establishment, grabbed the headlines once again for his ‘Darbar’ in Uttarakhand.
He held a one-day ‘divine court’ in Dehradun, the capital city of the state, where he made controversial remarks about India’s identity and religious diversity in front of a huge crowd of devotees who came to seek his blessings.
Shastri claimed that Uttarakhand, ‘the land of the gods’, is endowed with God’s presence in every particle.
He said, “You are blessed to be born in this sacred land.”
He also extolled Hanuman, a Hindu deity, as the paramount power in the world.
Other religions are incompatible with the human soul
Shastri further challenged the legitimacy of other religions and confronted their adherents.
He said, “When the human body cannot accept the blood of another person, why should the human soul accept the religion of another person?”
He said “India is not the country of Babar, but of Raghuvir (Lord Rama), a Hindu god.
A child from every house will join the movement for a Hindu nation
Shastri also reiterated his demand for a Hindu nation saying, “Now a child from every house will join the movement for Sanatan.”
Sanatan is a term used to refer to the ancient and eternal Hindu way of life.
He said, “India must be declared a Hindu nation and no one can stop this movement.”
A five-day court will be held in Dehradun soon
His talks have gone viral on social media, where he is heard calling his followers ‘mad’.
Location: Dehradun, Uttrakhand
— HindutvaWatch (@HindutvaWatchIn) November 7, 2023
Bageshwar Dham Sarkar delivered hate speech targeting Muslims. He openly said that the construction of Mosques wouldn't be allowed in Uttarakhand and then went on to add that Hindus can’t accept presence of another religion in India. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/wN5jG42tnk
He promised, “I will soon hold a five-day divine court in Dehradun.”
“aur yahan ke pagalo ka ‘dum’ piyunga.”
He said that a single day event was not enough for people of Dehradun and announced, “the arrangements for a five-day court are ready and the dates will be revealed soon.”
Dhirendra Shastri (26), the head priest at Bageshwar Dham Temple hails from Gadha village, Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh where he was born as Dhirendra Krishna Garg and decided to change his name.
Shastri boasts of having superpowers of mind-reading. He says he can solve the problems of his followers with his abilities. However, he failed to show up at an event that challenged him to prove his powers.
He later apologized for the delay in his arrival at the divine court in Dehradun and the inconvenience caused to his devotees.
The court was held at the Parade Ground sports field from 8 pm to 10 pm. Devotees of Baba came from different parts of the country to attend the event.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Puskar Singh Dhami was also expected to be present, with tight security arrangements.
The organizers of the event Nivriti Yadav and Amit Tyagi from Shri Pashupatinath Temple Bharat Charitable Trust, also joined Shastri on the stage.
