Tamil Nadu: VIP darshan extortion case rocks famous Tiruchendur Murugan temple, four suspended including priest
Tiruchendur, May 29: Strict action was taken after illegal extortion from devotees in the name of VIP darshan at the Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy Temple in Tuticorin district came to light, with four people including a priest suspended for allegedly accepting money from Minister S. Ramesh; the priest has also been barred from temple service until further orders.
In fact, there were continuous complaints of illegal extortion from devotees in the name of VIP darshan at the temple. It was alleged that some priests, security personnel, and employees were taking huge amounts of money from devotees and allowing them to have darshan through a special route quickly. Taking the complaints seriously, S. Ramesh, Minister of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department, suspended the priest from serving the temple. Ramesh decided to investigate himself.
Minister Ramesh arrived at the temple on Friday morning as a regular devotee and stood in the general darshan queue, which charges ₹100. During this time, he asked the priest, Ayyappan, present there, for an early darshan. It is alleged that the priest demanded ₹4,000 for VIP darshan and promised to grant him darshan of Lord Murugan through a special entrance.
As part of the investigation, Minister Ramesh transferred ₹4,000 through Google Pay (GPay). Upon receiving the payment, the priest discovered that the person from whom he had taken the money was the departmental minister himself. Following this, the minister and departmental officials questioned the priest and related staff on the spot.
Following a preliminary investigation, priest Ayyappan was immediately suspended and barred from temple service until further orders. The temple security guards who assisted him, Karuppasamy and Thoppu, who are reportedly former military personnel, have also been removed from service.
In the same case, two other employees have also been suspended for allegedly taking money from devotees who came to the temple for hair donation (tonsuring). The order was issued by the Executive Officer of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department. It
is noteworthy that the Tiruchendur Subramanya Swamy Temple is one of the most famous religious sites in Tamil Nadu, attracting thousands of devotees daily. Due to the heavy crowds, devotees have to wait three to four hours in the normal queue. There were complaints that some employees and priests were charging devotees between 4,000 and 10,000 rupees for quick darshan.
This investigation, conducted by Minister Ramesh posing as a common devotee, has raised serious questions about the functioning of the temple administration. The department has indicated that more stringent measures will be taken in the future to prevent such illegal collections in temples.
