Cow urine sprinkled in Maharashtra temple after MLA Abdul Sattar’s visit

Cow urine was sprinkled inside the Nageshwar Mahadev temple in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Monday after Shiv Sena MLA Abdul Sattar visited the shrine to perform puja during Maha Shivratri.

The incident took place at the temple in Rahimabad village, where a group of Hindutva youth, along with members of the temple management, carried out what they described as a cleansing ritual following the visit of the Shiv Sena MLA. The group claimed that the temple premises had been rendered impure because Sattar is a Muslim and a non-vegetarian who had consumed meat before entering the temple.

Videos of the act have been widely shared on social media, showing people using leaves to sprinkle cow urine on the temple’s walls and floors while chanting religious slogans.

The visuals triggered criticism and renewed debate over religious discrimination and access to places of worship.

The controversy intensified after Tushar Bhosale, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s spiritual wing, publicly questioned Sattar’s entry into the temple. Speaking to reporters in Wardha district, Bhosale asked whether Sattar was a Hindu and said that if he had not accepted Hinduism, he should have taken darshan from outside the sanctum.

Bhosale said temples are governed by religious rules and traditions and should not be treated as monuments for political purposes. He added that religious customs should not be violated for political benefit and suggested that Sattar should convert to Hinduism if he wished to freely seek blessings inside temples.

There has been no official response so far from Sattar regarding the remarks or the cleansing ritual. The incident has drawn attention amid broader debates in Maharashtra over religious practices, political symbolism, and communal harmony.