Mallikarjun, Srirangapatna tahsildar and in-charge executive officer of Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple at Melkote in Mandya district, has filed a complaint with the police against unidentified persons involved in the alleged ornaments missing case.
It had been alleged that some priests in the historical Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple had taken away about 50 ornaments gifted to the sitting deity by devotees. Recently, three persons — Ramapriya, Seenaiah and M.B. Srinivas — had filed a petition with Mr. Mallikarjun seeking a thorough enquiry into the issue as they suspected involvement of a few priests in the case. Subsequently, Mr. Mallikarjun filed a complaint on Friday.
The Melkote police have registered the first-information report with crime number 23/2015, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The 126-page complaint included several photographs of the ornaments taken before they were reported missing, copies of notices issued to priests and some other documents, Mr. Mallikarjun told The Hindu on Sunday.
According to Mr. Mallikarjun, the petitioners had alleged that some priests had taken away 41 ornaments gifted to Sri Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple and another nine ornaments gifted to Sri Badarinarayana and Sri Ramanujacharya temples.
Nevertheless, the petitioners had refused to disclose the sources of photographs and the ornaments said to be missing, he said. Meanwhile, the Melkote police said that they would soon issue notices to the priests and petitioners concerned.
The ornaments had been gifted to the deities during important ceremonies and programmes over the years, sources said.
