‘I have no ties to my family’: Dhirender Shastri after brother booked in firing case

4 min readBhopalJul 15, 2026 05:55 AM IST

Bageshwar Dham chief priest Dhirender Shastri. (File Photo)

After his younger brother, Shaligram Garg, was booked in a firing and assault case in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, Bageshwar Dham chief priest Dhirender Shastri has said he has no connection to his brother and that the law should take its course.

Shaligram has faced multiple police cases over the past few years. Regarding the latest one, Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police Rajat Saklecha said police received information about a dispute between two groups in Koda village under Rajnagar police station limits that escalated into a shooting.

“The police received information… regarding a dispute between two groups that escalated into a shooting incident initiated by one side. An injured individual was brought to the district hospital… Preliminary findings indicate the presence of a bullet in the body. An FIR is being registered against four accused individuals — three named and one unidentified. Shaligram is one of the accused,” the SP said.

The injured complainant, Motilal Kushwaha, alleged that Shaligram and others assaulted him before opening fire.

“Shaligram Garg, Ankit Mishra, and two or three others were there. They beat me up and opened fire. They fired three or four rounds from a pistol… Shaligram Garg struck me with a stick. He was trying to take over people’s land… I saw him firing with my own eyes,” Kushwaha alleged.

‘No ties to my family’

The case adds to a series of controversies involving members of Shastri’s family, even as the religious leader has repeatedly sought to distance himself from their actions, maintaining that the law should deal with any wrongdoing.

Addressing the latest allegations, Shastri said he had no connection with his brother and that he should not be linked to every incident involving his family.

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“I have no connection with him. In fact, I have no ties to my family. The entire world is my family; the whole of society is my family. I live for society, for the nation, and for Sanatan Dharma. Since the Chhatarpur district and my family are vast, incidents of one kind or another keep happening here. Let the law take its course, and appropriate legal action be taken. Whoever is responsible should face the strictest possible punishment. I earnestly request that I not be dragged into every single matter,” Shastri said.

Past cases

In the cases Shaligram has faced earlier, allegations have centred on assault, intimidation and the alleged use of firearms.

The most prominent case was registered in February 2023, when Chhatarpur police booked him after a viral video purportedly showing him threatening a Dalit family during a wedding while brandishing a firearm. The FIR included charges of voluntarily causing hurt, criminal intimidation and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police later arrested Shaligram, who was subsequently granted bail by a local court.

In April 2024, Gulganj police registered another case against Shaligram and several others after toll plaza employees alleged they were assaulted during a dispute. The FIR invoked sections relating to causing hurt, criminal intimidation, mischief and use of abusive language.

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In June 2024, another FIR was registered after a family associated with Bageshwar Dham accused Shaligram and his associates of entering their home and assaulting women and a minor during a dispute. Police registered a case and began an investigation into the allegations.

Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.

Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.

Expertise and Reporting Beats

Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:

National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.

Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).

Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.

Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.

Professional Background

Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.

Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.

Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.

Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.

Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.

Digital & Professional Presence

Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express

Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More