Tension peaked on Saturday in the coastal Devipattinam village in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu when some people tried to build a temple in a place where some miscreants on Thursday vandalised a pedestal and removed a trishul installed on it from a Muneeswarar temple with no structure.
Police said the trishul in the structure in Pazhamkottai, at the entrance to Devipattiam, was found removed at the early hours of Thursday, a day after the family of Mariammal offered worship after sacrificing a goat. A few days ago, the local people had fenced the area.
Acting on a complaint lodged by S. Vairavan (32), who had been maintaining the temple, the police registered a case against unknown persons under sections 295 (defiling place of worship with an intent to insult a religion) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code.
As a special police team launched an investigation after identifying some suspects, some people of Pazhamkottai tried to build a temple on Saturday. Revenue officials intervened and stopped the construction, holding that the place was located in ‘channel poromboke.’
The complainant said they had been offering worship in the place for more than four decades. He alleged that the pedestal was damaged by some elements, who objected to a temple coming up in the area.
Police said the trishul was found thrown into a bush, near the temple.
Police pickets posted
Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena said that in view of the sensitivity of the matter, police pickets have been posted near the temple, an Arabic school in the vicinity and other strategic locations in Devipattinam. The police have invoked section 107 of CrPC to maintain public peace and tranquillity in the area, he added.
Collector S. Natarajan has deputed the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) to enquire into the matter and find out whether the land was a government poromboke and take necessary action.
Denying the involvement of Muslims, S. Zakir Hussain, former president of the Devipattinam panchayat, said Muslims would never indulge in such acts when they were observing fast during the month of Ramzan. “This is the month we help others not trouble others,” he said.
BJP district president K. Muraleedharan condemned the incident and demanded stern action against the culprits. When Hindus and Muslims lived as brothers in the district, some evil forces were trying to create a wedge, he pointed out and urged the police to take action.
