Petition filed against Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Shastri in Bihar court

Muzaffarpur: A petition accusing controversial godman Dhirendra Shastri of hurting Hindu sentiments, by proclaiming himself to be an incarnation of Lord Hanuman, was filed before a court in Bihar on Monday.

The petition was filed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (West), Muzaffarpur, by a local advocate Suraj Kumar.

The petitioner has claimed that the godman had, at a congregation in Rajasthan on April 24, claimed to be an "avatar" of Lord Hanuman, which was an affront to religious beliefs of Hindus.

The petitioner has, therefore, sought trial of Shastri under IPC Sections 295A, 298 and 505, all of which pertain to hurt cause to religious feelings.

The court has fixed May 10 as the date of hearing in the matter.

Incidentally, Shastri is scheduled to hold a five days congregation in the Bihar capital from May 13, but his proposed visit has met with stiff opposition from the ruling RJD in the state.

Environment minister Tej Pratap Yadav, known to be passionately religious himself, has vowed to oppose the visit of Shastri and stage a gherao at the Patna airport itself if the godman set foot there.

Barely in his 20s, Shastri heads the Bageshwar Dham pilgrimage site in Madhya Pradesh, dedicated to Lord Hanuman, and has been accused of conning people by claiming to read their minds.

A votary of making India a "Hindu Rashtra", whose list of admirers includes Union minister Giriraj Singh and BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Shastri has been named in cases lodged at many places, for allegedly inciting communal passions and promoting superstitions.