Archive · 21 Aug 2026
BJP MLA Alleges Caste Discrimination at UP Temple Ritual
Jai Devi Kaushal is a BJP politician in Uttar Pradesh.
She belongs to the Pasi community, which is recognised as a Scheduled Caste.
She says she was not allowed to join a temple prayer ceremony because of her caste.
The ceremony happened at the Sheetla Mata temple before planned renovation work.
The temple welfare group involved in the event denies her claim.
The group says she was invited to break a coconut and receive garlands.
Kaushal says she and her team were not invited to participate.
Her husband linked the dispute to an earlier caste-related controversy at the temple.
The reports give different figures for the renovation funding, ranging from about Rs 78 lakh to about Rs 1 crore.
BJP MLA Jai Devi Kaushal alleged she was excluded from a bhoomi pujan at Sheetla Mata temple because she belongs to the Pasi community.
The ceremony took place Wednesday in Kakori, Malihabad, before renovation work on the temple.
Reports differed on the renovation allocation, citing approximately Rs 78 lakh and approximately Rs 1 crore.
The Hindu Jan Seva Samiti said Kaushal was invited to break a coconut and receive garlands, but declined and left.
Kaushal rejected that account and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to address caste discrimination.
- Who
- BJP MLA Jai Devi Kaushal, the Hindu Jan Seva Samiti, ceremony organisers, and the temple priest were involved in the dispute.
- What
- Kaushal alleged that she was denied participation in a temple bhoomi pujan because she belongs to the Pasi community; organisers denied the allegation.
- When
- The ceremony took place on Wednesday; the reports also refer to an earlier caste-related controversy in 2025.
- Where
- The incident occurred at the Sheetla Mata temple in Kakori, Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh.
- Why
- Kaushal said she was excluded because of her caste, while the Hindu Jan Seva Samiti said she was invited to take part but declined.
Kaushal’s Allegation
Organisers’ Denial
Participation in the ritual
Kaushal’s Allegation
Jai Devi Kaushal said neither she nor her team was invited to join the puja or come near the priest, and that she was prevented from participating because she belongs to the Pasi community.
Organisers’ Denial
Prajwal Gupta of the Hindu Jan Seva Samiti said organisers asked Kaushal to break a coconut and arranged garlands to honour her, but she declined and left.
Reason for the incident
Kaushal’s Allegation
Kaushal and her husband said the episode reflected caste discrimination and alleged it was connected to an earlier dispute involving a Pasi man at the temple.
Organisers’ Denial
The Hindu Jan Seva Samiti dismissed the allegation as a political stunt intended to attract attention and sympathy.
Requested response
Kaushal’s Allegation
Kaushal urged Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath to take note of the incident and speak out against caste-based discrimination.
Organisers’ Denial
The organisers maintained that their account of the ceremony contradicted Kaushal’s allegation.
- Politician
- Jai Devi Kaushal, BJP MLA from Malihabad and member of the Pasi community
- Temple
- Sheetla Mata temple in Kakori, Malihabad, Uttar Pradesh
- Ceremony
- Bhoomi pujan held before the temple’s renovation
- Renovation funding
- Reports cited approximately Rs 78 lakh and approximately Rs 1 crore, a discrepancy not resolved in the articles
- Organisers
- The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department and the contractor appointed for the renovation organised the ceremony
- Allegation
- Kaushal said she was not allowed to touch a flower or participate in the ritual because of her Pasi identity
- Denial
- Hindu Jan Seva Samiti president Prajwal Gupta said Kaushal was invited to break a coconut and receive garlands
- Earlier controversy
- Kaushal’s husband said a Pasi man was allegedly humiliated at the temple in 2025 and that a case was filed
