Seven suspended in Srikalahasti over burial of corpse

The Srikalahastheeswara Swamy Devasthanam ordered the suspension of seven employees on Monday following an uproar over the clandestine burial of a body near a sub-shrine in the sacred Bharadwaja Theertham area.

The burial of the unidentified body triggered a controversy in the town, following which temple Executive Officer D. Peddi Raju filed a complaint with the Srikalahasti police, who questioned the security staff, priests and residents of the area.

Though the identity of the deceased person is yet to be disclosed, the temple authorities, on their part, conducted an internal probe to establish accountability on grounds of dereliction of duty. As a result, seven persons, including an Assistant Executive Officer, the security in-charge, four security guards and a priest, were placed under suspension with immediate effect.

Mr. Peddi Raju announced that the security apparatus would be strengthened and CCTV cameras would soon be installed to monitor the movement of strangers in the vicinity of the temple and sub-temples.