BJP MLA’s son makes reel inside Ujjain's Mahakal temple, action initiated against security firm

The temple committee said Rudraksh Shukla would be allowed to visit only as an ordinary devotee, without access to protocol arrangements.

The Mahakal temple committee on Saturday imposed a fine of ₹5 lakh on a security company, handling the temple’s security, and suspended three security personnel who were on duty, after a purported video of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Golu Shukla’s son shooting a video inside the restricted area of the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain surfaced on social media, officials aware of the development said.

The video allegedly shows Rudraksh recording the rituals of puja, abhishek and aarti despite the prohibition on mobile phones inside the temple. (X)

In the video, said to be a week old, Rudraksh Shukla could be seen recording on his mobile phone from the Neelkanth Dwar up to the Chandi Dwar, despite a ban on mobiles inside the temple. He is also seen getting a video made while performing puja, abhishek and aarti inside the temple, officials said.

Taking further action, the temple committee has barred Rudraksh from accessing protocol and VIP facilities for one year, saying that he will only be permitted to enter the Mahakal Temple as an ordinary devotee.

The devotees complained that instead of stopping him, the security personnel were seen facilitating his darshan under protocol and attending to him.

After the video was widely circulated on social media, assistant administrator Ashish Pandit said the temple committee had taken the incident seriously and action was initiated. “The private security company was served a notice with an imposing fine of ₹5 lakh. Three security personnel were suspended,” he added.