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20 Priest Booked For Allegedly Stopping Dalit Woman From Praying In TN's Chidambaram Nataraja Temple
Writer: Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Tamil Nadu, 18 Feb 2022 11:20 AM GMT
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Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
The incident took place on February 15, when the priests, regionally called dhikshitars, surrounded Lakshmi and stopped her from getting onto the 'Chitrambalai Medai', a platform which assigned only for dhiskhitars.
The Cuddalore police of Tamilnadu have booked 20 priests of the famous Chidambaram Nataraja temple under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The action was taken after the priests allegedly prevented Lakshmi (36), a woman from Old Bhuvanagiri Road's SC community, from having 'darshan' at Chitrambalai Medai, where the Nataraja idol is kept for darshan. No arrests were made despite the priests being charged under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
As per Lakshmi, the priests allegedly verbally harassed her and used casteist slurs. The complaint is being investigated further, according to the police.
The incident took place on Tuesday, February 15 when the priests, regionally called dhikshitars, surrounded Lakshmi and stopped her from getting onto the ` Chitrambalai Medai `, a platform which assigned only for dhiskhitars.
When Lakshmi attempted to climb the steps to get at the platform, the dhikshitars surrounded her and started yelling at her. Several videos of the ordeal have been recorded and went viral. The video additionally confirmed a clergyman attempting to pull Lakshmi back, grabbing her hand.
No 'Darshan' Amid COVID Crisis
A group of priests had earlier decided that worshippers should not be permitted for 'darshan' because of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions.
In an interview with IANS, Ayyappan and Vegatesan, two priests who were part of a group of priests who allegedly barred other priests from approaching Chitramabalai Medai, claimed, "There is no untouchability in this temple, and a segment of priests are bringing a bad name to the temple." This temple is visited by Muslims and Christians alike. Because of the safety concerns and the Covid-19 outbreak, some restrictions were imposed.
"The woman made a fake complaint alleging that she was denied entry. It was decided not to allow anyone into the Chitrambalai Medai, not because of her caste, but because of a majority vote among the priests. No one has the authority to intervene."
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