CID of State registers case against HR&CE officials for theft of idols from Temple

தீவு திடலில் நடக்கும் 'சுற்றுலா வர்த்தக பொருட்காட்சிக்கு' சென்று இருப்பீர்கள்.  அங்கே உள்ள பல ஸ்டால்ல்களில் பொது மக்களை கவர்ந்து இழுப்பது 'இந்து அறநிலையத்துறை' அரங்கம். 

கோவில்களை பராமரிக்க என அறங்காவலர்களை நீக்கி அரசாங்கத்தால் உருகாக்கப்பட்டது இந்த 'இந்து அறநிலையத்துறை'  ~ இதனுடைய முக்கிய நோக்கமே சில தனி மனிதர்கள் தங்கள் வசம் கோவில்களை கொள்ளாமல், திருகோவில்தனது  சொத்துக்களை பராமரித்து பரிமளிக்க செய்வதே !

அப்படி எனின் திருக்கோவில்களில் வரும் வருமானத்தை அரசு எப்படி தனதாக்கி கொள்ளலாம் ?  அறநிலையத்துறை அதிகாரிகள்  கார் வாங்கி பவனி வருபவதற்கா - புனித வள்ளல்கள் அறக்கொடைகளை உருவாக்கினார் ?  பொது மக்கள் இவர்களுக்காவகா உண்டியலில் காணிக்கை செலுத்துகின்றனர். ??  ~  திருக்கோவில்களில் இருந்து வாகனங்களையும், பெருமாளது உடைமைகளையும் வேறு இடத்திற்கு கொண்டு வந்து காட்சி பொருளுக்குவதற்க்கு இவர்களுக்கு உரிமை அளித்தது யார் ?  - மனம் வலிக்கிறது - இதில் அற நிலையத்துறை அதிகாரிகளே சிலை திருட்டிலும் பங்கு உள்ளவர்களாம் !! 

ஐயகோ !  இது என்ன வேதனை !!!!

The management and control of the temples and the administration of their endowments is one of the primary responsibilities of the State !!! says its website. [If so, does it handle the administration of places of other worship ?] A number of measures have been undertaken prior to the year 1925 for efficient control and supervision of the administration of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments says the website of HRCE

In the Act 1 of 1925, the Government constituted " Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Board" consisting of a President and two to four Commissioners nominated by the Government to function as a statutory body. Subsequently, Act 1 of 1925 was repealed by the Act 2 of 1927, which was followed by several modifications up to the year 1951. 

If the function is to administer a Temple, how can the funds of the temple be diverted to various other activities which have no relation to religion or that temple at all ? – Temples as great places of worship were built by philanthropists, Kings and subjects to eulogise Hinduism and Gods – now in the garb of HRCE – the revenue goes to the exchequer, revealing in the form of SUVs for officials and temple lands gets donated.  Who gives the right to authorities to remove the Vahanams and other paraphernelias of temple and keep them on exhibition elsewhere !! ~ but all these would pale when you read of complicity in idol theft .. .. no simple words of ordinary baktha – but reported in the mainline press including The Hindu and Times of India :

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/idol-theft-fir-registered-against-hrce-officials/article19405514.ece

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/7-hrce-officials-booked-for-theft-of-6-idols/articleshow/59871026.cms

one’s heart would bleed !!!

According to the complainant – R. Venkatraman of K.K. Nagar in Chennai  [யார் இவரோ ?  இவர் நீடுழி வாழ்க !!] – five idols of Vinayakar, Pushpakarani, Valli, Theivanai and Chandrasekar Amman, which were with Sri Viswanathaswamy Thirukkoil at Keezhmanakkudi and the Vinayakar idol of Sri IdumbeswararThirukkoil at Srirangarajapuram were found to have gone missing in 2013.

“Though officials knew that the idols were missing, they deliberately didn’t disclose it. No complaint was lodged with the police,” the complainant alleged.

The idol wing CID of the state police has registered a case against 11 people, including seven Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department officials, in connection with the theft of six panchaloha idols from two temples in Thanjavur district, including Pasupatheeshwarar temple at Pandanallur near ThiruvidaiMarudhur. The priceless idols date back nearly 1,500 years, said sources, adding that this was the first time HR&CE officials have been booked in an idol theft case.

The Madras high court recently re-appointed inspector general of police A G PonManickavel as investigation officer in idol theft cases handled by the idol wing CID in spite of his being transferred as IGP, railways. Pon Manickavel, who now holds additional charge as investigation officer in the idol wing CID, and his team swung into action and managed to identify idol smugglers and those who helped them stealing the idols from the Pasupatheeshwarar temple, and Idumbeshwarar temple at ShriRangarajapuram, in Thanjavur district.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that HR&CE officials failed to bring the missing of the idols, said to be worth several crores of rupees, to the notice of their higher-ups. Inquiries revealed that K Kamaraj, executive officer of Arulmigu Shree Pasupatheeshwarar Temple in Pandanallur, noticed that idols of Vinayagar, Pushpakarani, Valli, Deivayani, Chandrasekar Amman of the Pandanallur temple, and a Vinayagar idol of Idumbeshwarar temple were missing in 2013. However, he failed to report this to his senior officers and gave a clean chit to the then HR&CE commissioner.

As the officer didn't even lodge a complaint at the local police station, he has been deemed to have been deeply involved in the case. In a report submitted before the Madras high court, the idol wing CID police officers said that they registered a case against 11 CE officials, including Gajendran, joint commissioner of HR&CE in Mayiladuthurai, Gnanasekaran, assistant commissioner of HR&CE in Kumbakonam, K Kamaraj, executive officer of Pasupatheeshwarar temple, K Raja, head clerk of the Pasupatheeshwarar temple, Sekar Gurukkal and JagatheeshGurukkal, and a temple employee, apart from the trustees of the Pasupatheeshwarar temple PasupathiPillai, ManoharPillai, Ramachandran and Saravanan.

Based on the complaint of R Venkataraman, 62, a resident of K K Nagar, the idol wing CID registered a case under the IPC Sections 457 (2) (trespass), 380 (2) (theft) and 202 (Intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform). The idol wing team has started investigating into the missing of the stolen idols.

Tightening the screw on the Tamil Nadu idol wing police who are in a spot after reports of cops selling ancient panchaloka idols worth several crores of rupees emerged, the Madras high court on Thursday asked the wing's inspector-general why the erring officials had not yet been arrested. Kader Batcha, a deputy superintendent of police with the wing, who has been named as kingpin in the illegal sale of seized panchaloka idols is absconding while a sub-inspector of police, Subburaj, has already been arrested.

The present proceedings related to a public interest litigation filed by advocate Elephant G Rajendran seeking transfer of the case to a neutral agency for an effective and impartial probe.

Sad, indeed !!  ~  ~  :::::::::::: தெய்வம் தான் இவர்களை தண்டிக்க வேண்டும்.