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Bengal

Gold Gopal idol goes missing from Bowbazar temple

Kolkata: A gold idol of Gopal has gone missing from the temple at Syakra Para lane in Bowbazar. The priests and devotees of the temple claimed that the idol was stolen during the renovation and demolition of buildings in the area that had partially or wholly collapsed due to the construction work of East-West Metro.

"Today (October 25, 2019), when we entered the temple we found the gold idol missing. We have registered a complaint with the police and Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation Limited (KMRCL), the implementing agency of East-West Metro's construction work," said Indrajit Das, a resident of 14, Syakra Para Lane who also looks after the temple.

He reiterated that the temple was closed in the first week of September after the KMRCL shifted the residents of the area to hotels.

"Citing threat of house collapse, the KMRCL had asked us to vacate the temple on September 6, 2019. Leaving the gold idol at the temple, we shifted to the hotel. KMRCL did not allow us to take the idol," added Das.

According to sources, two families - Jaiswal and Das – look after the temple. The Jaiswal family has lease that is expiring in 2021.

While a petition was filed in the court by the Jaiswal family to shift the idol from the temple to another place, the court did not give any verdict on the issue.

"The Jaiswal family must have stolen the Gopal idol. I am sure that Bajrangee Jaiswal (a member of the Jaiswal family) has stolen the idol. We want that the Gopal idol is returned to the temple authorities," said Archana Das, a devotee and resident of 14, Syakra Para Lane.

However, the Jaiswal family has refuted the claims. Seeking anonymity, one of the mem-bers of the Jaiswal family said: "All the allegations about us stealing the Gopal idol are baseless."

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