The mischief of the EO (Executive Officer) in issuing the order restricting the archak (temple priest) of Shri Dodda Ganesh Temple from using bells and damaru, an integral part of Hindu prayers, has come to the fore. It has also come to light that not only is the EO not authorized to issue such an order but also misinterpreted the police order on noise pollution. HinduPost reached out to social activist Shri Girish Bharadwaj who apprised us of the entire issue.

The police had issued a general order asking all religious institutions to comply with the Karnataka High Court order with respect to noise pollution regulations. We are given to understand that the police have been regularly issuing such notices to ensure that Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 are strictly enforced. It must also been mentioned that the authority has been vested with the Deputy Superintendent of the Police (DSP) and not the EO.

Importantly, nowhere does the police order prohibit use of bells and damaru which would be well below the permissible noise level. However, the EO arbitrarily asked the priest not to use them citing the police notice even though there was no such requirement as per the latter.

Shri Bharadwaj took up the matter with the EO and ran a social media campaign following which the EO withdrew his order. This highlights what ails our bureaucracy who use their own interpretations to selectively target Hindu organizations as we have seen often times. There is an urgent need to sensitivize the bureaucracy as also free Hindu temples from government interference.

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