Temple wall pulled down

Chaitra Krushna 11, Kaliyug Varsha 5114

Coimbatore (Tamilnadu) : Communal tension is brewing once again in the city following the demolition of a compound wall of an old temple in the highly-sensitive Kottaimedu area by a corporation councillor belonging to a minority community who termed it an encroachment.

Hundreds of activists from several Hindu outfits attempted to stage a protest near the Balavinayagar temple at Kottaimedu condemning the high-handedness of the councillor.

The groups withdrew the agitation only after the police intervened and pacified them by promising to do the needful.

“We decided to build the compound wall only to prevent miscreants from gathering in front of the temple in the evenings and creating a nuisance to the devotees coming to the temple.

It was also the demand of the local residents to put an end to the menace,” said Arjun Sampath, general secretary of the Hindu Makkal Katchi.

On Saturday, construction workers were erecting the wall when Mohammed Salim, ward 82 councillor, accompanied by a group, demolished the wall.

“It was built only well within the land belonging to the 1,500-year-old temple, which comes under HR&CE,” said Mr G.C. Senthil Kumar, organising general secretary of the Janata Party in Coimbatore district.

However, on Monday, the councillor raked up the issue and wanted the temple authorities to remove the asbestos shelter in front of the temple, claiming that it was an encroachment.

“The councillor, who encouraged encroachments by allowing shops on Easwaran koil street in the same neighbourhood, is now trying to stoke communal hatred by removing only this encroachment. We are not against removing the shed and compound wall, but this should be done in a judicious manner by removing all other encroachments in the ward,” said Mr Senthil Kumar.

Following the simmering communal discontent, police personnel have been deployed in large numbers. A large number of activists representing various Hindu outfits submitted a petition to city police commissioner T.P. Sundaramurthy and corporation commissioner Ponnusamy seeking action against the councillor.

Source: Deccan chronicle