Mumbai: Amitabh Bachchan’s family priest Amit Pandey was beaten up by police at Vindhyavasini temple in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
According to a report by LiveHindustan, the clash between policemen and priests took place after the Chandauli district magistrate (DM) and his family arrived at the temple in Vindhyachal for ‘darshan’ and prayers amidst weekend lockdown.
Seeing the DM offering puja, the priests wanted to perform puja. Police officers who had escorted the DM obstructed the priests from going into the temple, and a scuffle ensued.
A video of the clash went viral on social media. Watch it here:
#UttarPradesh : विंध्याचल में वीकेंड #Lockdown के दौरान दर्शन को लेकर पुलिस और पुरोहितों में झड़प, अमिताभ बच्चन के पुरोहित को पुलिस वालों ने घेर कर पीटा#Mirzapur pic.twitter.com/n15eNCszRf
— Hindustan (@Live_Hindustan) June 20, 2021
Amit Pandey is the priest for the Bachchan family as well as the Gandhi family, the report quoted his brother Sumit as saying.
ASP Sanjay Verma said no policeman escorted any official for performing puja in the temple.
“A priest performed darshan puja and when Amit Pandey started taking other visitors for the darshan puja, police opposed,” Verma was quoted as saying.