Overview
- A video from inside Kolhapur’s Jyotiba Temple shows priests punching and kicking devotees during Sunday’s aarti, with some striking people using coconuts.
- Police said they have booked 10 priests and 15 devotees under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for affray, issued notices to those named, and opened a probe using the viral clip and CCTV.
- Investigators said the fight began when dancing devotees carrying a shashan kathi, a ritual staff used in processions, blocked a deity’s palanquin moving through the complex.
- Temple officials denied priest misconduct and alleged a larger drunken crowd provoked the clash, while eyewitnesses and the video depict sustained assaults before other devotees intervened.
- With the annual fair set for early April and crowds growing, police have strengthened security at the hill shrine, and one outlet reported 34 people booked, signaling figures could shift as evidence is reviewed.