Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari temple rejects 'Boycott Muslims' call from right-wing groups
Lucknow: The popular Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan has rejected demands made by right-wing groups to boycott Muslim workers who provide services to the shrine, following protests sparked by the recent attack in Pahalgam.
Gyanendra Kishore Goswami, a priest and member of the temple’s administrative committee, called the demand impractical and out of step with local traditions. “Muslims, particularly artisans and weavers, have deep-rooted contributions here. They've played a major role in weaving the dresses of Banke Bihari for decades,” the Times of India quoted Goswami as saying.
Protesters in Mathura and Vrindavan had appealed to Hindu shopkeepers and devotees to avoid doing business with Muslims. They also asked Muslim shop-owners to "write proprietors' names on business establishments.
Meanwhile, Goswami underscored the deep-rooted social harmony in the temple town, highlighting the invaluable contributions of Muslim artisans to the temple. He noted that some of the most intricate crowns and bangles offered to the deity are made by Muslims.
At the same time, he strongly condemned the attack in Pahalgam and urged strict action against the perpetrators. “But in Vrindavan, Hindus and Muslims live together in peace and harmony,” he emphasised. His sentiments were echoed by most priests and locals, the report added.
Nearby shopkeeper Javed Ali, who runs 'Star Mukut', said he was directly confronted by protesters who asked him to put the name of the proprietor on the signboard. “I've been running this shop for over 20 years. My father worked here as a tailor. Whenever a customer buys things, I usually give them a bill receipt with my name and mobile number on it. We have nothing to hide,” TOI quoted Ali as saying. He added that the priests’ stance had provided them with much-needed relief and reassurance.
Nikhil Aggarwal, who owns a shop next to Ali’s, supported his neighbour, noting that they have always maintained a cordial relationship and frequently help each other, irrespective of religion.
This is not the first time the temple administration has resisted divisive demands. A month ago, priests similarly dismissed calls to stop using attire crafted by Muslim artisans for the deity, emphasising that religious discrimination had no place in the temple's traditions. They noted that the demand was “impractical” as other communities “simply did not have the same level of dexterity in crafting these attires.”
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Two injuries, one DNF, a DQ as India end messy World Relays campaign
Gaborone (Botswana) (PTI): Amoj Jacob and Ragul Kumar got injured during the men's 4x400m and 4x100 races respectively as India ended their World Athletics Relays campaign in disappointment on the second day of competitions here on Sunday.
The Indian camp had high hopes of making the 2027 World Championships in the men's 4x400m relay but the team did not finish (DNF) the race as Jacob suffered cramps and pulled out of the race after taking the baton from the first leg runner Dharamveer Choudhary. Rajesh Ramesh and Vishal TK were to run in the third and fourth legs.
Those teams which could not qualify for the 2027 Beijing World Championships by reaching the final round of each of the six relay events on Saturday were given another chance in the second qualification round on Sunday.
The top two teams in each of the two heats (in all six relay events) booked the Beijing ticket on Sunday.
India will now have to try and qualify for the World Championships through the Top Lists of the World Athletics, which is a long and tedious process.
In the men's 4x100m race, third leg runner Ragul Kumar fell down the track after failing to hand over the baton inside the exchange zone to fourth leg runner Gurindervir Singh, which clearly showed the lack of coordination among the runners.
Harsh Santosh Raut and Animesh Kujur ran the first two legs.
The Indian quartet was disqualified and Kumar was seen being taken away from the Field of Play with the help of the volunteers.
It was a comedy of errors in the case of the women's 4x100m race, which saw the baton being dropped during an exchange between first leg runner Tamanna and second runner Nithya Gandhe, though the Indians finished the race in 53.09 seconds.
Gandhe started running quite a distance, but after realising that the baton was not in her hand, she turned and ran back to pick it up.
The only silver-lining for the Indian contingent was the national record time in the mixed 4x100m relay race, though the quartet of Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Animesh Kujur and Sneha SS finished sixth in heat number two with a time of 41.35 seconds, bettering the previous national mark of 42.30 seconds set in March in Chandigarh.
The mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, Kumari Saloni, Nihal William and Rashdeep Kaur ended at fifth in heat number one with a time of 3 minutes and 19.40 seconds.
On Saturday, all the five Indian relay teams had failed to make it to the respective final rounds and thus missed out on the 2027 World Championships berths.
