Caste Hindus oppose Scheduled Caste people offering prayers in a temple in Namakkal
Tension prevailed at Veesanam village after caste Hindus opposed members of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community offering prayers inside a temple. They were later able to offer prayers amid police protection on Tuesday.
The Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple, under the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR & CE) Department, is located in Veesanam.
Sri Maha Kaliamman Temple that belongs to Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) department, is at Veesanam in Namakkal District. On Monday, caste Hindus of the village made arrangements to conduct their annual temple festival. Meanwhile, members of the Scheduled Castes (SC) community announced their intention to hold a festival and offer prayers inside the temple as well. This led to a verbal dispute between the two groups. In response, the Namakkal police held peace talks on Monday night, but both sides remained firm in their positions.
On Tuesday morning, the caste Hindus removed the Pandakkal (an auspicious bamboo pole) from in front of the temple and declared that they would not go ahead with the festival. This decision resulted in heightened tension within the village.
Later that day, Namakkal Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Santhi held fresh peace talks and reiterated that everyone has the right to worship in the temple. Despite this, caste Hindus stood firm in their opposition.
In the evening, amid police protection, SC people offered prayers in the temple, and after they offered prayers, the temple was closed. To avoid untoward incidents, over 50 police personnel were deployed in the village.
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