MADURAI: A woman with disability has alleged police personnel at Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple asked her to remove the caliper support in her leg forcing her to undergo great distress. She also said the temple priests did not behave in a cordial manner. Refuting the allegations, both city police and the temple authorities said the devotee was exaggerating the issue.
The disabled person, Tamilselvi (48) of Dharmapuri district, told TNIE, “On Tuesday, the police personnel at the entry point said I can’t take my small bag inside. Since I am diabetic, I kept some fruits in the bag. The police also made me remove the caliper citing some rules,” she said.
Despite explaining about the disability, the woman said the police forced her to remove the caliper and instead use a wheelchair. “Then the temple staff who came to push my wheelchair demanded Rs 500,” Tamilselvi said.
Refuting the allegations, Commissioner of Police Dr J Loganathan told TNIE Tamilselvi reached the temple’s west gopuram around 9.30 am on Tuesday. “For safety reasons, the personnel there asked her to keep her bag which contained fruits and a knife in the storage room. Then, the guard and temple staff asked her to remove the shoes attached to her caliper. However, after leaving the temple, she posted a video raising false claims,” he added.
Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner of Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple S Krishnan confirmed said a detailed inquiry was conducted with the temple staff and they all said the woman’s claims were baseless. “We provide wheelchairs to whoever needs them and depute temple workers to assist the devotees free of cost. The priests also said they ensured that the woman had a proper darshan of the deity,” he said.