Eknath Shinde's son Shrikant gets backlash after entering Ujjain's Mahakaleshwar Temple's sanctum despite ban

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde 's son, Shrikant Shinde , is facing controversy after entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain , Madhya Pradesh . Despite a ban in place for nearly a year, Shinde, his wife, and two others entered the restricted area on Thursday evening, causing uproar when a video of the incident went viral.

The opposition Congress party criticised the incident, emphasising that while common citizens wait in long queues for hours, VIPs are given special privileges. Congress MLA Mahesh Parmar was quoted by PTI saying, "While a common devotee has to stand in long queues and wait for hours for the darshan of Lord Mahakaleshwar, the VIPs were allowed to enter the garbha griha despite a ban on entering it."

In response to the backlash, Shrikant Shinde said, "They have an allergy even if we go to the temple. They don't take darshan and stop others from doing so."

Neeraj Kumar Singh, Chairman of the temple committee and Ujjain district collector, acknowledged the unauthorized entry and directed the temple administrator, Ganesh Dhakad, to investigate the matter.

Addressing the matter Dhakad said, "Nobody is allowed to enter the garbha griha. This (Shinde's) is an unauthorised entry and I have directed the temple administrator to take immediate action in this matter."

The Mahakaleshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the 12 'jyotirlinga' temples in India, attracts many devotees throughout the year.