Why Did Hindu Groups Remove Sai Baba Idols From 14 Varanasi Temples? (image-X/HateDetectors)

The idols of Sai Baba were removed from several temples in Varanasi on Tuesday after a campaign led by saffron outfits called Sanatan Rakshak Dal (SRD) and the Brahmin Sabha objected to their presence.

According to reports, nearly 14 idols of Sai Baba were removed from temples in Varanasi, including the famous Bada Ganesh Temple, within the last few days. Some of the saffron organisations claim that Sai Baba was a Muslim, called Chand Baba, and had no connection with Sanatan Dharma.

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SRD president Ajay Sharma stated that the saffron organisation was not against Sai Baba but that his idols have no place within temples. “We are not against Sai Baba, but his idols have no place in the temples,” Sharma said, as quoted by the Deccan Herald.

Sharma reasoned that the idol of a dead man could not be placed at temples because it is not permitted in the Sanatan Dharma. “The idols of only five gods and goddesses—Surya, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, and Ganesha—could be installed in the temples and worshipped,” he highlighted.

The SRD president also said that the statues of Sai Baba will also be removed from Agasteshwar and Bhooteshwar temples in the coming few days.

“Sai Baba’s disciples can worship him at a temple dedicated to him only… some people, who did not have knowledge of Sanatan Dharma, had installed Sai Baba’s idols in other temples,” Sharma added.

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Reportedly, the Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopananda Sarswati also opposed worshipping Sai Baba as a god. He argued that there is no mention of Sai Baba in the ancient scriptures. Echoing a similar sentiment, Acharya Dheerendra Shastri said that Sai Baba could not be worshipped as a ‘Mahatma’ but not as a god.

Notably, Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopananda made headlines in 2014 after he claimed that Sai Baba was a Muslim ‘Fakir’ who cannot be compared to Hindu deities or worshipped like them.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and MLA Ashutosh Sinha called the removal of the statues a “political stunt” of the BJP. “Sai Baba is widely respected in Maharashtra… the Hindu religion is an inclusive religion… over the centuries it has accepted a variety of thoughts,” observed Sinha.

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Many devotees of Sai Baba expressed their disapproval. “This incident has hurt the faith of millions of Sai devotees. All gods are one. Everyone has the right to worship God in whichever form they believe. As for whether Sai Baba was Hindu or Muslim, it is we who have created those divisions. God does not make distinctions among humans,” said Vivek Srivastava, a Sai Baba devotee, as quoted by the Hindustan Times.