THRISSUR: Police have arrested an oracle from a Kerala temple following complaints that a woman ended her life after he reportedly remarked before other devotees that she was leading an immoral life.
The Anthikkad police in Thrissur district have arrested Sreekanth, the oracle (komaram in Malayalam) of Karanath temple at Manalur, on Tuesday. He allegedly made remarks insulting the mother of two children in the presence of other devotees during the temple rituals held on February 25, the police said.
The 32-year-old woman was found hanging at her husband's house the next day.
An oracle, regionally known as 'komaram', believed to be the image of god, is considered as the person who takes the message of the deity to the native people. For temple rituals, the komaram is regarded as the mediator between the devotees and the deity.
In a complaint filed by the woman's husband, it is alleged that one of their relatives had misbehaved with the woman earlier. The woman had warned the relative of further consequences if he continues it and even shared the same with her husband, who works in the Gulf. "Since he was our family member, we didn't make it a big issue, but my wife had told me about it," said the woman's husband.
The woman's brother alleged that the relative influenced Sreekanth, the oracle, to speak against his sister in public as revenge. Sreekanth made insulting comments against the woman and even ordered her to apologize to the deity for leading an amoral life.
The woman's brother has testified that his sister lived a happy life with the two kids and her husband. He alleged that the incident was the reason behind the death. Her family had sought a probe into the issue leading the police to make the arrest on Tuesday.
Cultural organizations like Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (an organization of artists, writers and art and literature enthusiasts based in Kerala) have come out against the incident and urged the devotees not to be swayed by oracles like Sreekanth.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available at 24-hour helpline numbers Maithri - 0484-2540530 and Chaithram: 0484-2361161.)