A case has been registered against five unidentified individuals for allegedly attempting to endanger a protected monument in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, according to a report by PTI. The five people are accused of lighting torches and using flammable substances to shoot reels inside the premises, the officials said on February 26. The FIR against five unidentified individuals was registered after a video showing a group of five to six unidentified people shooting reels inside the temple premises surfaced on social media, police said. Maheshwar Temple at Patnadevi is a site protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act by the government.
The videos, shared online in December 2025, depict a woman carrying out a ritual close to the Shivling, while several others with their faces covered are seen ringing the temple bells. In a separate behind-the-scenes clip showing how the reel was created, members of the group can be seen fastening cloth to pipes and pouring a flammable substance to ignite four to five torches within the temple complex, including inside the sanctum sanctorum, an official from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said to PTI.
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Following an inspection of the site, ASI personnel discovered soot marks and burn damage on the temple’s flooring and pillars, a police officer said. Acting on a complaint lodged by an ASI staff member, the Chalisgaon rural police registered an FIR on February 17 against five unidentified individuals who allegedly operated multiple Instagram accounts, charging them with defacing and misusing the protected monument. Authorities have also approached the social media platform to obtain details of the concerned profiles.
The temple forms part of the safeguarded Patnadvi and Maheshwar temple complex, renowned for its distinctive Hemadpanthi architectural style. This design tradition features star-shaped layouts, elaborate stone carvings and dry masonry construction, where interlocking slabs of black basalt stone are used without mortar to hold the structure together.