Digha temple row: West Bengal govt reinstates 'Jagannath Dham' signage ignoring public outrage

The West Bengal government has reinstated the 'Jagannath Dham' signage in front of the newly built Jagannath temple premises in Digha late Monday night.

The Bengal government had earlier removed it for a brief period of time following mounting opposition, political storm and public outrage over the development.

This action by the neighbouring state government was confirmed by a statement from the BJP's IT Cell head, Amit Malviya who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share the update.

"After strong protests from devotees of Prabhu Jagannath, the West Bengal government was forced to quietly remove the misleading ‘Dham’ signage in Digha. This is a significant victory for Hindu unity and a setback to Mamata Banerjee’s divisive agenda. When Hindus stand united, no political manipulation can succeed. Jai Jagannath!,” Malviya had written earlier.

The move then came after strong objections were raised from various quarters, especially in Odisha, where concerns were expressed over the religious and cultural implications of referring to Digha temple as a 'Jagannath Dham'—a title traditionally associated with the sacred Jagannath Temple in Puri.

Police Confirm Signage In Place

However, contrary to earlier reports, the East Medinipur Police stated last night via a social media post that the 'Jagannath Dham' plaque remains in place outside the temple.

Must Read: ‘Jagannath Dham’ signage removed from Digha Temple after row; still present on website 

It was found last night that a large hoarding of 'Jagannath Dham' was reinstated at the place.

The Odisha government, which had earlier warned of legal action over the unauthorized use of the religious terminology, is yet to respond to this latest development.