Varanasi: A Muslim youth was detained by Dashashwamedh police after he tried to enter the Annapurna temple’s Annakshetra (free community kitchen), located within the high-security zone of Kashi Vishwanath Dham on Saturday.ACP (Dashashwamedh) Atul Anjan Tripathi said police took him to the Dashashwamedh police station as he was also found carrying a kitchen knife. However, he revealed during questioning that he belonged to a poor family in the Mughalsarai area and worked as a meat-chopping labourer. As he could not find work after spending hours at Labour Mandi and had no money to buy food, he reached the Annakshetra due to hunger.The youth was identified as Shahid Jamal, a resident of Nawapura locality near Vipul Stand under Mughalsarai police station in Chandauli. As he was caught in a high-security zone, teams from agencies including the local intelligence unit, Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and others also joined the police in questioning him.When police contacted their counterparts in Chandauli district to cross-check Shahid’s whereabouts, no criminal history was found.Police said the knife he was carrying was used for cutting vegetables or chopping chicken. He was carrying it because he worked as a labourer employed by caterers to prepare food for feasts and functions. As no suspicious motive was found during questioning and investigation by police and other agencies, officials summoned his family members to take him home late in the evening.
