MP Nishikant's attempt to court arrest in Deoghar foiled

Dumka: Two days after an FIR was registered against him for violating the norms for ‘darshan' at the Baidyanath Dham, Godda MP Nishikant Dubey on Saturday reached the Babadham police station in the temple town to court arrest. However, police refused to arrest him, saying that the permission from the MP-MLA court to arrest him was pending.

An FIR was filed against the BJP MP, and his counterpart from North East Delhi constituency, Manoj Tiwari, after the duo allegedly defied security protocols and forcibly entered the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum) of the temple on August 2.

Dubey, who had on Friday announced on his X handle that he would court arrest, left for the police station on foot from a hotel along with his supporters.

The officer in-charge of the Babadham police station, S N Kamat, said, "If the MP-MLA court approves the FIR, three notices will be issued to the accused (Dubey and Tiwari). The process of arrest will be initiated if the investigation warrants."

Dubey left after spending 30 minutes at the station.

The FIR was registered by Kartik Nath Thakur, former general secretary of the Panda Dharma Rakshini Sabha, a body of the priests of the Baidyanath temple, on August 7.

Thakur alleged that Dubey, along with son Kanishk Kant, Tiwari, and their two personal assistants, entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple through its exit gates. When on-duty cops tried to stop them, the parliamentarians allegedly had a scuffle with them, he claimed.

Dubey later said he had moved a privilege motion against Jharkhand chief secretary Alka Tiwari, DGP Anurag Gupta and Deoghar SP for trying to implicate him in false cases time and again, as 51 other cases have been lodged against him across the state.

Stating that the police were relying on a person's complaint who is holding a position illegally, Dubey said, "If Hemant Soren and Rahul Gandhi intend 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."

The BJP MP said he had the right to visit the temple on grounds of being the ex-officio trustee of the temple management committee as the incumbent MP.