Mahabodhi temple should get special treatment: Nitish

PATNA: The Bihar government today requested the Union Home Minister to treat CISF security for Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya as a special case.

"I will make a public appeal to the Centre to keep in mind the special position the Bodh Gaya temple holds and assist in maintaining high order security arrangements in the wake of serial blasts on Sunday," Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told reporters here.

The request was made after Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said yesterday that the Centre would consider the request to provide CISF security cover to Mahabodhi temple and other prominent religious places in the wake of Sunday's terror attack in Bodh Gaya.

"Though there are several religious places in the country, Bodh Gaya temple stands different from them," Kumar said.

The historic centre was a symbol of faith for Buddhists world wide, who thronged the place in large numbers, he said adding that it was "our duty" to protect it.

The Chief Minister, through a letter to the Centre, had sought Central Industrial Security Force security cover for the Mahabodhi temple.

Shinde, who had paid a visit to the temple yesterday along with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, was non-committal saying similar requests were pending for other religious places.

"The Bihar government said it would bear the expenses for the CISF security. Some time ago, Maharashtra government had also written to us to provide CISF security for Sai Baba temple in Shirdi for which the (Saibaba) Trust is ready to pay. We will have to examine it. We will have to examine the CISF Act also before taking any decision," he had said.