COIMBATORE: A video purportedly showing a staff member of Perur Patteeswarar Temple taking a Superintendent of Police (SP) inside the shrine to facilitate darshan for him even after the closure of the sanctum has stirred up a controversy.
While the Lord Shiva devotees have been up in arms about the incident since the video went viral on Tuesday and sought the HR&CE department officials to take action against the staff member, the department officials have clarified that the SP visited the shrine before the temple was closed.
One of the devotees staged a sit-in on Wednesday seeking action against the HR&CE officials.
The Shiva devotees alleged that the temple staff member took the police officer inside the shrine at 9.10 pm on Sunday and it is a violation of ‘Agama Vidhi’ (the temple’s rituals and practices prescribed in the Agama scriptures), as the temple closes at 9 pm.
A devotee, who took the video, alleged that the temple staff were favouring higher officials and not the common devotees.
Responding to this, a senior HR&CE official told TNIE that the temple staff member took the police officer inside the shrine at 8.50 pm and the timing claimed by the Shivan devotees is wrong.
However, a group of Shiva devotees on Wednesday submitted a petition to the district administration seeking to take action against the officials of Perur Patteeswarar Temple along with the staff member in this regard.
“The temple is closed at 9 pm. The entrance door was slightly opened to give way to the priest to come out. However, using this space, the staff member took the police officer inside and facilitated worship in violation of ‘Agama Vidhi’ which is not acceptable,” said A V Manickavasagam, heading a group of Shiva devotees, who submitted the petition at the collectorate.
Manickavasagam claimed that the devotee who took the video on his mobile phone has clear evidence that the staff member took the police officer inside the temple at 9.10 pm.