Deal averts Indore’s aarti, Muharram clash

Officials said following night-long meetings, the Sangh Parivar agreed to hold the aarti at 9.30 am instead of 8.30 pm.

Though the administration had urged the Bajrang Dal activists to prepone the aarti, the latter had adopted a confrontationist attitude over the issue. However, several meetings between the administration and the Sangh activists paid off with the latter accepting the formula.

‘‘They accepted our proposal and the maha aarti was offered in the morning today without any untoward incident,’’ said Indore Collector, Rajesh Rajora. About 600 devotees converged at the temple and the aarti was offered under the police vigil.

Rajora said about 40 residents of the nearby Dobhi Ghat area, who have been performing the puja every Tuesday, will be allowed to offer the aarti only after 10 pm. ‘‘It is just a small group. And by that time the Muharram congregation would almost be over,’’ said Rajora.

Though a showdown was averted, hardliners within the Parivar were peeved at what they alleged was ‘backtracking’. Convenor of the Indore city unit of the Bajrang Dal Pradeep Nair and several others did not turn up for the maha aarti as a mark of protest. Confirming he did not attend the aarti, Nair claimed the hard posturing was given up following intervention of senior Sangh leaders.

Sources said Nair, spearheading the ‘fight’ to hold the maha aarti, was peeved at the acceptance of the formula. They said it was the members of the Dhobighaat Dharamrakshak Samiti, which looks after the temple, and Hindu Jagran Manch who had accepted the compromise formula. Anil Chauhan and Kamal Singh Waghela of the Samiti and HJM’s Radheshyam Yadav attended the meetings in which the compromise formula was worked out. Nair and other Bajrang Dal leaders stayed away from the meeting.