A priest in Uttarakhand’s Pauri Garhwal has been booked under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act for allegedly denying a Dalit couple entry into a temple for their wedding, Indian Express reported.

The FIR was registered on March 12 after the bride’s father, Nakul Das, filed a complaint alleging that the couple was prevented from entering the Adishakti Maa Bhuvaneshwari Temple in Sanguda Bilkhet due to their caste.

According to the sub-inspector Rakesh Bisht, the priest, Nagendra Selwal, allegedly hurled abuses when the couple, Ankita and Ajay, approached him on the morning of March 5.

The district magistrate Dr Ashish Chauhan has ordered the case to be transferred to the regular police for further investigation.

However, the circle officer of Pauri Sadar, Trivendra Singh Rana, stated to TIE, “The dispute arose between differences in opinions among the owners of the temple. We are checking if there is any caste angle to this.”

Further investigation is ongoing.