Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), March 1 (IANS): The management of Ujjain's Mahakal temple on Friday barred a priest from entering the temple premises after a video allegedly showing the priest molesting a minor girl went viral in social media.

Ujjain Mahakal is one of the 12 famous "Jyotirlingas" of Lord Shiva across the country.

Although the police have not taken any action yet, they said that if a formal complaint is filed, "we'll surely take action".

However, priest Hemant Dubey has stated that it is a conspiracy hatched by older priests of the temple to frame him in the fake case.

In the wake of development, the Congress has questioned former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan as to which political powers are protecting criminals in the state.

State Congress chief's media coordinator Narendra Saluja on Friday said in a statement that Hemant Dubey, who is allegedly involved in many criminal activities, has connections with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

"Chauhan should explain, who are the people whose names are surfacing during the two-month-old Congress regime? Who are the people trying to challenge the law and order and which political powers are protecting them? Waiting for your (Chauhan's) tweet," said Saluja.