Confusion over Babadham temple management

Dumka: Priests at the Baidyanath Dham are concerned about managing the temple's daily affairs after court Jharkhand high court quashed the four-year-old committee on Wednesday.

The earlier committee was formed in 2012 and looked after matters pertaining to the management of the temple where thousands of devotees from neighbouring states visit during shravani mela. It lost its power after last year's stampede owing to mismanagement that killed 11 pilgrims during the mela. The government then formed the Baba Baidyanath Dham-Basukinath Shrine Area Development Authority.

But after the court order, nothing has been clarified about the management of Babadham temple leaving the district administration and local priests in the dark.

"The modalities, including financial expenses, looked after by the deputy commissioner who is the ex-officio secretary of the former Baidyanath Dham temple management board, have not been specified by the court, " Durlabh Mishra of the Panda Dharma Rakshini Sabha said.

DC Arwa Rajkamal said, "The matter will be taken up with the newly constituted Baba Baidyanath Dham-Basukinath Shrine Area Development Authority, which is the ultimate authority to deal with all external and internal affairs of the two temples."

Rajkamal could not clarify what his role would be after the court order and said the chief minister and the tourism secretary are the ex-officio chairman and the secretary of the new body. with santhal pargana commissioner and Deoghar deputy commissioner made its members in different capacities.

The internal affairs of the Baidyanath Dham temple was managed by Sardar Panda (The high priest) until 1970 but owing to a pending case before a local court in Deoghar over a dispute on his hierarchy, the responsibility was handed over to the Deoghar DC by the the Bihar state religious trust board.

Meanwhile Godda BJP MP Nishikant Dubey who had also filed a writ petition in the high court for quashing the temple management board headed by former DGO T P Sinha, expressed satisfaction over the recent development.

"As of now, the state government had already constituted the Baba Baidyanath Dham-Basukinath Shrine Area Development Authority through an act and the board had lost its significance," Dubey said.

The aforesaid authority was constituted by the Raghubar Das government in the aftermath of the death of 11 pilgrims in the stampede during the last shrawani mela.