CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department officials attacked Ayyappa devotees from Andhra Pradesh who visited Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Srirangam.
It is reported that the devotees were peacefully worshipping by ‘Mantra chanting’ when the HR&CE officials demanded they stop and subsequently attacked them.
The devotees, who had been returning after visiting Sabarimala, were seriously injured in the attack and lot of blood was shed. Other devotees present at the scene gathered as the situation escalated, leading to the intervention of the police.
Footage of the incident is circulating on social media. No actions have been taken against the officials involved in the attack, prompting criticism of their actions. The BJP’s Trichy district unit plans to organize a protest outside the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, demanding the Tamil Nadu (TN) HR&CE department take the strictest action against those responsible for disrupting the temple’s sanctity.
Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai strongly criticized the mistreatment of devotees at the temple. He posted on social media, stating, “The TN government, which has no faith in Hindu Dharma, is deliberately creating difficulties for devotees, discouraging their visits to the temple. Mismanagement of the crowd has intensified hardships for the devotees, and the state government is not taking adequate action to address these issues.”
Annamalai further urged the state government to ensure HR&CE officials treat devotees with politeness and control the situation at the temple.
A government which has no faith in Hindu Dharma has no business to be in Hindu Temples.
The Iyyappa devotees who have had 42 days of Vrath, with all devotion, wanted to pray to Ranganatha Swamy after their return from Sabarimala.
The Iyyappa devotees questioned the long wait… pic.twitter.com/4BbNii9La5
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) December 12, 2023
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