A priest in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal has been booked under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for refusing to allow a Dalit couple to marry on temple premises, according to a report by Indian Express.
The FIR was registered on March 12 after the bride’s father, Nakul Dal, filed a complaint alleging that the temple priest, Nagendra Selwal, locked the doors and denied entry based on caste.
Sub-Inspector Rakesh Bisht confirmed the incident, stating that Selwal abused the couple when they approached him on the morning of March 5. “The couple, Ankita and Ajay, could not get married on time, and local people had to intervene,” Bisht told Indian Express.
A local resident, Nitin Kainthola, said the yagyashala, where weddings are conducted, is usually open during the day. “It was unusual to see it locked when the wedding party arrived. The priest did not want them to enter,” he said.
Due to financial constraints, the family had planned to hold the wedding at the Adishakti Maa Bhuvaneshwari Temple in Sanguda Bilkhet. However, following the intervention of the revenue police, the doors were opened, and the wedding finally took place.
The District Magistrate, Dr. Ashish Chauhan, has ordered the case to be transferred to the regular police for further investigation.
This incident follows a similar case in January 2023, when a Dalit man was attacked for entering a temple in Uttarkashi, highlighting ongoing caste discrimination in religious spaces.
