The Hindu Munnani State President, Kadeeshwara C Subramaniyam, has issued a scathing statement denouncing the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for its alleged negligence in safeguarding the sanctity of cows donated by devotees to temples.
Subramaniyam’s statement comes as a response to mounting concerns over the fate of cattle offered by devout worshippers to temples across Tamil Nadu. Instead of being revered and cared for as intended, these sacred animals are reportedly finding their way into slaughterhouses, raising questions about the ethical integrity of the HR&CE Department’s oversight.
In his statement he called out HR&CE department for its negligence, he stated, “Devotees in Tamil Nadu donate cows to temples, where temple authorities pass them on to women’s self-help groups, stipulating that they cannot be sold. However, many of these cows find their way to slaughterhouses through intermediaries.”
He added, “The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department fails to uphold the sanctity of these donated cows, which were intended for a sacred purpose. This situation is deemed inexcusable, as cows gifted to deities should not end up in slaughterhouses via self-help groups.”
He also called for transparency, he said, “The government should publish a white paper on the number of cows distributed to temples and the number of self-help groups that receive them, the number of cows currently owned by the SHG members who received the cows. Hindu Munnani demands that strict action should be taken against the self-help group persons who sell the cow donated from the temple after giving an undertaking that they will not sell it.”
