Priest threatened over 'Hanuman Chalisa' on loudspeaker in UP's Varanasi; 2 held

Varanasi: Police have arrested two men for allegedly threatening a temple priest who played the Hanuman Chalisa on a loudspeaker in the Madanpura area here, an official said on Saturday.

The priest, Sanjay Prajapati, told police that after performing puja at the Hanuman temple on Friday, he played devotional songs on a tape recorder when Abdul Nasir and his son came there and allegedly began abusing him.

They asked him to turn off the loudspeaker and threatened him with dire consequences if the devotional song was played again. Soon after, dozens of people surrounded the priest and issued threats to him, Prajapati claimed in his police complaint.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kashi Zone, Gaurav Bansal, said a case has been registered and the two accused were arrested on Friday night.