Mathur Police in the dock for conducting Yagam

Conducting religious rituals in police stations to bring the crime rate down may not sound a good idea.

Yet, the Mathur police in Pudukottai district thought performing a yagam in the station would “drive away the evil spirit, which was the main cause of increase in criminal activities” within its limits. Whether the yagam performed by priests on November 14 drove off the evil spirits is not known but the incident brought unwanted attention on policemen in the station and even landed its Inspector R. Marimuthu in the dock.

The Inspector, who had reportedly brought Sivachariars to conduct a Ganapathi Homam in the police station, presided over the rituals in which more than 15 policemen participated.

A top police officer in the Tiruchi Range told

The Hindu that a show-cause notice had been issued to Mr. Marimuthu seeking his explanation. Pudukottai Superintendent of Police E. S. Uma was unavailable for comment as she was in a meeting.