Karnataka seer plotted to oust temple trustee: Temple poisoning incident
A seer cast a devious plot to poison devotees of the Kichguth Maramma temple in Sulwadi village in Kollegal. This temple poisoning was an attempt to oust the temple trustee and wrest control of the funds.
At the seer’s request, his lover, her husband and the priest of a neartemple poisoned the prasada. This temple poisoning led to the death of 15 people. It resulted in over a 100 devotees being hospitalised. The seer, Immadi Mahadev Swami and his three accomplices have been arrested. They have been booked for murder. This crime is punishable death.
The seer is the junior pontiff of Salur Mutt in Kollegal taluk. He tried to mislead investigators. What helped the police crack the case was the suspicious visit of an agricultural officer to the house of Ambika, the seer’s lover. This happened eight days before the incident. The officer is a relative of Ambika. He told the police that he had given her two 500 ml bottles of insecticides. Ambika had told him that she needed it for her garden plants.
The temple is located on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. It generates revenue of at least Rs 12 lakh a year. It was recently taken over locals from the residents of Bagur in Hassan district. Swami wanted to oust Chinappi. He is the main trustee of the temple seva samiti. He rejected the seer’s proposal to build a gopura for Rs 1.5 crore. He then went on to undertake the work without his support.
When police reached Salur Mutt in MM Hills, junior pontiff Immadi Mahadev Swami insisted that he had done no wrong. The seer accused the trustee. He maintained that what happened was right. He said that he would feel no remorse if 3-4 people died due to poisoning.
This temple poisoning incident reflects the mindset of some of these “holy” people. What is your opinion on the issue?
