NEW DELHI, Oct 11: A purported video of the theft of Goddess Kali’s crown gifted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Jeshoreshwari temple in Bangladesh, has surfaced online. The staff at the temple in Satkhira reported the silver and gold-plated article missing on Thursday.
Mr Modi had presented it to the temple as a gift during a visit in 2021. India has urged Bangladesh to investigate the reported theft, which is belived to have taken place in broad daylight between 2 pm and 2.30 pm.
In the purported video, an unidentified man can be seen entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He takes the article from the idol’s head and simply pockets it. He then walks out and is also captured on CCTV cameras outside.
According to reports, the crown was reportedly stolen when temple priest Dilip Mukherjee left after the day’s puja. The cleaning staff later discovered it was missing. “We are reviewing the temple’s CCTV footage to identify the thief,” said inspector Taizul Islam of Shyamnagar police station. The stolen article holds religious significance for devotees as the Jeshoreshwari temple is one of the 51 shakti pithas.
The incident comes amid the ongoing Navratri festival, during which nine incarnations of the Hindu deity Durga are worshipped. Kali is also one among those forms.
In a post on X, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka expressed deep concern over the theft and called upon the authorities to recover the article and take action against the perpetrators of the crime. “We have seen reports of theft of the crown gifted by PM Modi to Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple (Satkhira) in 2021 during his visit to Bangladesh,” it said. “We express deep concern and urge Govt of Bangladesh to investigate theft, recover the crown and take action against the perpetrators.”
Central government sources said New Delhi is deeply disturbed by the reported theft. The Indian High Commission in Dhaka is in touch with the authorities on the issue, they said. Sources said the law enforcement authorities in the neighbouring country have been urged to investigate the incident, recover the stolen article and bring the guilty to book.
(Manas Dasgupta)