Uttarakhand BJP MLA’s ‘ban non-Hindus from Kedarnath’ remark sparks row

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Asha Nautiyal on Sunday called for a ban on the entry of non-Hindus in Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

“I conducted a meeting with locals and they informed me that non-Hindus are hurting the religious sentiments there,” Kedarnath MLA told PTI. “People from across the world go to worship Baba Kedar so those people [non-Hindus] should be banned from going there. The local businessmen also demanded that such things should be discouraged.”

Nautiyal’s comment was in response to a reporter’s question about the alleged sale of meat and liquor near the Hindu religious site.

The Kedarnath temple is among the four major Hindu shrines in Uttarakhand. The shrine is located in the Rudraprayag district and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva. Kedarnath is a jyotirling, which according to Hindu religious texts, is from where Shiva emerged.

VIDEO | Demanding no entry of non-Hindus trying to hurt the sentiments of pilgrims, Kedarnath MLA Asha Nautiyal says, "I had conducted a meeting with local businessmen, they said that non-Hindus are doing activities which are hurting the sentiments of Hindu pilgrims. They are… pic.twitter.com/782fPGgTJA— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 16, 2025

Nautiyal also sought to restrict non-Hindus from all four sites that are part of the “Char Dham Yatra”.

“Since I am...

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