Manjhi orders probe into temple 'purification'

A day after claiming that a temple in Bihar’s Madhubani district was “washed and purified” after his visit there to pay obeisance, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday ordered a probe into the incident.

Even as the temple priest Ashok Kumar Mishra denied the allegations, the chief minster firmly stated that strict action would be taken against anyone who is found guilty. “The temple premises are washed twice every day - morning and evening - as per the routine being practised for decades,” Mishra said.

Manjhi told reporters after presiding over the “Udyami Panchayat” that the divisional commissioner and inspector general of police in Darbhanga will jointly probe whether idols and premises of the Parmeshwari Devi temple in Anradhari village were washed and purified after his visit there a few months ago.

When reminded that Mines and Geology Minister Ramlashan Ram Raman and JD(U) MLC Vinod Kumar Singh denied that the temple was cleaned after his visit, Manjhi said he was not in the habit of speaking lies in public.