Pandals, stages, tables, chairs, air coolers, generators and water tankers — all installed inside the core zone of a tiger reserve, on the strength of what the minister describes as 'verbal consent of the Director of Forests.' The Forest Department's response was to file a forest-crime case. Against the temple committee.
On a Sunday in late April 2026, Uttarakhand Social Welfare Minister Khajan Dass (BJP) held the wedding of his son Anuj at the Sureshwari Devi Temple, located in the core zone of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in the Haridwar range. The arrangements — pandals, stages, tables, chairs, air coolers, generators, water tankers and 'other equipment' per multiple reports — were installed inside the protected area, after which the Rajaji administration filed a case under the Forest Act and Wildlife (Protection) Act. The case is against the Sureshwari Devi temple committee for permitting a 'commercial-scale' event, not against the minister who hosted it. Dass told reporters he had the temple committee's permission and 'verbal consent of the Director of Forests'; the Forest Department says no formal approval was sought or granted, and the Principal Chief Conservator confirmed that 'since the temple is situated within the core zone of the park, no events can be organised there.' The reception was moved out only after the visuals went viral. The tigers, presumably, are still seeking redress through the temple committee.