In yet another incident of temple vandalism, the murtis of a prominent temple in Perambalur, Tamil Nadu were found broken. The stone murti of Bhagwan Murugan and two wooden chariots were damaged by a person who broke the lock in the middle of the night. Police allege that the vandal is ‘mentally unstable’.
On June 26, a sanitary worker went to the Ekambareswarar temple in Chettikulam village of Perambalur early in the morning to open and clean the temple. He was shocked to find the lock of the small door of the main entrance in a broken state. When he went inside to check he found that the stone murti of Bhagwan Murugan and the wooden chariots used for processions during festivals were vandalised. Documents kept at the temple were also burnt.
As the temple is under the control of the Hindu Religious and Endowments(HRCE) Board, he immediately informed the Executive Officer Hemavathu. Based on her complaint, police inspected CCTV footage to find clues. The act of vandalism was recorded in the CCTV and the man who vandalised the temple was identified as one Selvaraj of a nearby village Mavilangai.
The man had entered the temple around 11.38 pm and remained there till 3 am. Superintendent of Police Shyamala Devi who inspected the temple told the media, “We are questioning Selvaraj based on the CCTV footage. It has been revealed that he is mentally ill. Villagers claimed that he was a habitual offender. He had broken a few idols in his village earlier. Appropriate action will be taken after investigation”.
As per media reports villagers cite lack of security as the reason behind the incident and accuse the HRCE department of being indifferent even though it is the most earning temple in the district. Hindu outfits have questioned the veracity of the claim that the suspect is mentally ill. Hindu Munnani posed a query as to why all the people that vandalise temples are mentally ill and wondered whether police were trying to cover up the crime.
There were a series of attacks on temples in Perambalur district in 2021, soon after the assembly elections. In the month of October 2021 alone, there were 3 attacks on temples in the same vicinity. One of the temples was only recently renovated at the time of the attack and Karthik Gopinath, a YouTuber collected funds through social media to renovate the temple again. He was targeted based on frivolous charges levelled by HRCE and arrested.
In another incident, a Muslim man set fire to a temple chariot in the same district. Despite the fact that he confessed and said that he would do it again if he gets the opportunity, police let him off claiming that he was mentally ill. It is speculated that with the recent attack on Ekambareswarar temple, the vandalism appears to have resumed. Meanwhile, the DMK government is planning to take over a well-functioning Chidambaram Nataraja temple on baseless accusations.
