Deoghar (Jharkhand) [India], August 9 : BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said on Saturday that sending him to jail would not deter him from fighting against the "corruption and nepotism" of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
His statement came in reaction to an FIR filed by Jharkhand Police against him, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, and four others for "forcibly" entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Baba Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar on August 2 and allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
"If Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi's intention is to put me in jail, then it is better if I just go to jail today. But my fight against their corruption and nepotism will continue. I am a BJP worker, not a fugitive," Dubey told reporters.
"I am going straight to the police station... I am the trustee of that temple. They got an FIR registered against me by an illegal person," he added.
An FIR has been lodged at Baba Baidyanath Mandir Police Station against Nishikant Dubey, Manoj Tiwari, and others. The complaint, filed by temple priest Kartik Nath Thakur, alleges that on August 2nd between 8:45 pm and 9 pm, the accused forcibly entered the temple's inner shrine despite a restriction on VIP/VVIP entry during the holy month of 'Shravan' - a ban implemented due to the large number of devotees.
On Saturday Nishikant Dubey arrived at the Police Station in Deoghar in response to the FIR against him.
"I reached Baba Mandir police station directly from Deoghar Airport to surrender. The police refused to arrest me. I am a trustee of the temple, a pilgrimage priest, born in Deoghar, a son of this place. On what basis were those who filed the case inside the sanctum sanctorum, this is a matter of investigation. 51 cases and how many more, we have filed a case under Article 105 of the Constitution for breach of privilege against the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, Director General of Police, Deoghar Deputy Commissioner, and Superintendent of Police," he said.
The FIR against Dubey, registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, cites multiple offenses including entering the inner shrine, hurting religious traditions and sentiments, and obstructing government work by engaging in a scuffle with security personnel.