Chennai: Amidst uproarious scenes and strong opposition from local residents, officials of the Chennai Corporation assisted by a strong posse of policemen on Wednesday demolished a temple in north Chennai that had been reportedly obstructing free flow of traffic.
Scores of protesting residents were arrested and others squatting on the street were forcibly evicted from the spot.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, (Royapuram) Madasamy, told News Today that 15 men and 24 women have been arrested.
It’s in fact a big fight for a small temple. As early as 7 am on Wednesday agitated residents of Munusami Chetty Garden, (MC Garden) in Royapuram took to the streets today asking the Chennai Corporation to give up imminent plan to demolish a tiny Pillayar Temple in their street.
People converged before the temple, sat on the street and shouted slogans.
MS Dhandapani, a resident of MC Garden, and convenor of Friends Forum which organised the road roko told News Today that the temple is situated on MC Garden 4th lane for the past more than three decades.
‘While 500 families want this temple for worship, one family is against it,’ he said and added that M Stephen, a resident has been behind all overt and covert efforts to remove the temple from this place.
While other residents endorsed his view, V Kumar and P Sundar, who are at the forefront of the fight alleged that a court direction was obtained by Stephen after telling the court that the local residents themselves had wanted the removal of the temple.
‘This man had also falsely claimed in the court that the small temple was obstructing traffic and free movement of people, which is not correct,’ they said.
Residents claimed that sometime back they had filed a civil suit and that the court had wanted the corporation authorities to act in the matter only after hearing the views of the residents.
However, the person asking removal of temple had concealed all relevant facts and had obtained a direction which is illegal, they said.
Womenfolk of the locality, who run a self-help group explained that their (MC Garden 4th lane) street is a dead-end and that residents alone use it.
The temple is situated here and no one residing here had complained against it.
Stephen is a resident of neighbouring Velayudha Pandian Street and he does not use this street.
Only he has been objecting to the Pillayar temple. ‘He is using unfair and unjust means to remove the temple,’ they said in a chorus and alleged that Stephen has also been speaking in a derogatory manner about worship of Ganesa for a long time.
Residents claimed that Stephen is an employee of the Intelligence Bureau and alleged that he has been misusing his official position to exert pressure on corporation and police authorities to demolish the temple.
Significantly, the local councillor (Ward 19), E Rajendran, (PMK) and other local office-bearers of all political parties including the DMK and the AIADMK had supported the people’s demand that the temple should not be demolished.
Source:
http://www.crusadewatch.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=906&Itemid=
