KRISHNAGIRI: A snakelet-like reptile was found in tamarind rice sold at a devasthana prasadham stall on the Lord Chandrachoodeswarar Temple premises in Hosur, on Tuesday.
Two devotees, T Jayalakshmi (33) and C Madhaniga (23) from Bengaluru visited the temple around 11.30 am. They bought two boxes of tamarind rice at Rs 30 each from a stall in the temple premises. While Jayalakshmi began eating the rice, Madhaniga tried to open her box when she found a tail outside the box and a snakelet-like reptile inside the food. “What if we had eaten the food. There was no proper response from the temple authorities,” Madhaniga told TNIE.
Around 130 tamarind rice boxes were prepared on Tuesday, of which 30 were sold and the rest went unsold after the incident. Food Safety Officer of Hosur S Muthumariappan, who visited the stall, told TNIE, “The samples will be sent to the Government Krishnagiri Medical College Hospital for testing and a notice will be served to the stall worker.”
After receiving information, I contacted the temple authorities around 4 pm. However, the incident occurred around 1 pm and the temple authorities failed to inform on time, he added.
However, M Samidurai, executive officer of the temple, said, “It is not temple prasadham. The stall is operating on the premises after bagging the tender. A police complaint will be lodged against the stall worker.”