The police force was not quite up to the challenge in controlling the crowds that thronged the streets during the ‘Maha Kumbabishekam’ of Manakula Vinayagar Temple.
Security was completely given the go-by as there was no frisking at any point leading to the temple.
A large number of devotees had ascended to top of the buildings surrounding the temple.
Even though the ‘kumbabishekam’ was scheduled to begin at 8.45 a.m., Chief Minister N. Rangasamy arrived at 9.15 a.m. By then, confusion and chaos prevailed on the premises. A near stampede was triggered when holy water was brought from the ‘yaga salai.’
It is through these surging crowds that elephant Lakshmi was brought to the temple. There was no proper arrangement for the elephant to come near the entrance. Had it panicked, the situation might have turned disastrous.
Even the temple priests carrying holy water were being jostled by crowds. When the holy water was poured on the ‘gopura kalasams,’several officials, including police constables, rushed to collect the water in plastic cans.
Immediately after the ‘kumbabishekam,’ only VIPs were allowed for a ‘darshan’ of the presiding deity while several devotes waited endlessly in long queue. When the queue did not move for a long time, devotees began to shout and bang the grill gate.
A top person in the organising committee reportedly plans to send the CCTV footage of crowd control management to the Inspector-General of Police.
Functionaries of the Youth Congress who ransacked the office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to register their protest against the objectionable comments made by Union Minister Giriraj Singh were cautious that they should flee from the spot immediately to prevent any arrest .
Keeping this in mind, over 50 volunteers carried out the agitation and threw eggs and tomatoes at the BJP party office. However, within minutes of their staging the agitation, they left the scene after hurriedly briefing the waiting mediapersons.
A section of Congress cadre informed that they were asked by their colleagues not to be present at the site.
With the court having holidays for the weekend, the cadres were informed to make themselves scarce without being spotted by the police.
Reporting by
R. Sivaraman and
S. Prasad
