Paswan slams Somnath Trust move

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today criticised the move by the Shree Somnath Trust to restrict the entry of non-Hindus to the famous Shiva temple in Somnath, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. “It is wrong. You cannot prevent someone from entering a temple on the basis of caste or religion. Irrespective of a temple or a mosque, such discrimination should not take place,” said Paswan. The temple authorities have put up a notice asking non-Hindu visitors to take permission from the Trust before entering the temple, which is located near Veraval in the coastal district of Gir Somnath in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.