Scuffle at Mathura’s Banke Bihari temple: Women clash with guards; police push to bar troublemakers
Officials said an enquiry committee is looking into the incident, and a queue system will be strictly enforced
In December, the temple management committee and a Sevayat filed a fresh petition questioning the functioning of the high-powered temple management committee. (File Photo) A scuffle erupted at the famous Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura, between two women and security guards on Monday afternoon.
Officials said an enquiry committee is looking into the incident, and a queue system will be strictly enforced for darshan.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Station House Officer (SHO) of Vrindavan police station, Sanjay Kumar Pandey, said the scuffle broke out after security guards asked the father of the two women to move aside after the darshan.
“The temple sees a lot of devotees, so it is not possible for everyone to stand inside the premises for long. So once their darshan was over, the guards asked the family to move aside. But they started abusing and hitting the guards,” the SHO said.
He said the issue was later resolved as neither party wanted to initiate a complaint on the matter.
A purported video of the incident that surfaced on social media shows a woman asking where her father is several times while her sister argues with the security guards. As a woman constable approaches, a scuffle breaks out between the security guards and the sisters. One of them faints. She is later seen getting up and moving forward.
When asked about measures to prevent a similar incident in the future, the SHO said, “If anyone creates a scene at the temple, they will be banned from future visits. We are writing to the authorities regarding this.”
Mathura District Magistrate (DM), Chandra Prakash Singh, said an enquiry committee has been set up to look into the matter. “The committee will suggest short- and long-term measures to ensure a similar situation does not arise. For now, we will begin a queue system. Everyone will have to form a queue to enter the temple premises (for darshan),” Singh said.
Despite multiple entry gates, the temple often sees huge crowds. In 2022, a stampede at the temple had left two people dead and seven injured.
Last month, the Yogi Adityanath-led government introduced the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihariji Temple Trust Bill, 2025, for the running of the temple in the Assembly. The government had cited the 2022 stampede and said the Bill would ensure better crowd management and amenities.
The Bill had replaced a May 26 ordinance, which was challenged in the Supreme Court for allegedly encroaching on temple funds.
After the temple sought a review of the SC order, the top court formed an interim 14-member committee, headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar, to oversee the daily affairs of the temple.
Singh said a meeting of the committee will be held soon, which will look into the internal and external management of the temple. “The Banke Bihari Temple is in its transition phase. Some people are trying to create a negative perception of the temple in the minds of the public,” the DM added.
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