To save face and abdicate responsibility for the mishap that happened in the Nanganallur temple in which five people drowned in a public tank, DMK leaders and its supporters in the guise of alleged fact checkers spread fake news that the temple is not under HR&CE.
In a tragic incident, five youngsters aged 18 to 22 drowned while performing rituals as part of a festival inside a temple tank. According to the preliminary police investigation, it is believed that one of them drowned in the tank and the other four went in to save him, but they too drowned.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday (April 5, 2023) at the Dharmalingeshwarar Temple in Nanganallur, Chennai, on the occasion of the Theerthavari festival during the Tamil month of Panguni. Around twenty youngsters were inside the temple tank to perform the ritual, and five of them drowned.
Edapaddi K. Palaniswami, on his Twitter handle, blamed the Hindu Religious And Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department for their complacency and negligence, saying, “I am deeply saddened to learn that five priests drowned during the Theerthavari ceremony at the Dharmalingeswarar temple in Nanganallur, Chennai. Due to the HR&CE department’s negligence and complacency, such mishaps continue to occur in temple events. It is even more unfortunate that all five priests who died were between the ages of 15 and 25. I urge this government to take all necessary precautions to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.”
சென்னை நங்கநல்லூரில் உள்ள தர்மலிங்கேஸ்வரர் கோயிலில் நடைபெற்ற தீர்த்தவாரி நிகழ்ச்சியின் போது 5 அர்ச்சகர்கள் நீரில் மூழ்கி உயிரிழந்த செய்தியறிந்து மிகுந்த வருத்தமுற்றேன். அறநிலையத் துறையின் அலட்சியத்தாலும் மெத்தனத்தாலுமே இத்தகைய அசம்பாவிதங்கள் கோவில் நிகழ்ச்சிகளில் தொடர்ந்து…
— Edappadi K Palaniswami (@EPSTamilNadu) April 5, 2023
In response to the allegations of Opposition Leader Edappadi Palanisamy, DMK leaders and alleged fact checkers who come across as DMK mouthpieces have been spreading fake news that the temple where the tragic incident occurred does not belong to HR&CE and thus the government cannot be blamed. They posted screenshots of some random temple website with a similar name to the Nanganallur temple and claimed that the temple was administered by a private trust and thus the temple was not under HR&CE’s control.
Spreading the fake news that the temple does not belong to HR&CE, DMK IT Wing on its official handle said, “Palaniswami has politicized a tragic incident that occurred in a privately owned temple. Palaniswami has simply copied what someone else has written without making any effort to determine what is true.”
தனியாருக்கு சொந்தமான கோயிலில் நடைபெற்ற துயர சம்பவத்தை வைத்து பிண அரசியல் செய்துள்ளார் பழனிசாமி. எது உண்மை என்பதை அறிந்துகொள்ள எந்த முயற்சியும் செய்யாமல் யாரோ எழுதி கொடுத்ததை அப்படியே காப்பி அடித்து எழுதியிருக்கிறார் பழனிசாமி. pic.twitter.com/zvyrkL5Z1v
— DMK IT WING (@DMKITwing) April 6, 2023
DMK deputy secretary Isai called Edappadi Palaniswami a liar and said, “This irresponsible person who is trying to spread false information and create religious riots should be arrested immediately.”
பொய்யான தகவலை பரப்பி மதரீதியான கலவரத்தை உருவாக்க முனையும் பொறுப்பற்ற இந்த நபரை உடனடியாக கைதுசெய்திட வேண்டும் @CMOTamilnadu https://t.co/LIJTA8Bqzz
— இசை (@isai_) April 6, 2023
Another Dravidian Stockist, Iyan Karthikeyan, who claims to be a fact checker, spread fake news by saying, “This is not an HR&CE temple, but a private trust! Why condemn the HR&CE? How are they complacent?”
However, netizens were quick to access the HR&CE website and show that the Nanganaullur temple, where the tragic incident occurred, falls under the purview of HR&CE. Dharmalingeshwarar Temple in Nanganallur was listed as part of HR&CE with the ID TM000377 on the HR&CE website.
இது தான் இந்து சமய அறநிலையத்துறை வெப்சைட். ஸ்கிரீன்ஷாட் எடுத்தா பொய் சொல்லுறாங்க என சொல்லுவீங்க ஸ்கிரீன் ரெக்கார்டு பண்ணிருக்கோம். பார்த்திட்டு மறுபடியும் உருட்ட ஏதாவது பொய் சொன்னா சேகர் பாபு அண்ணனை கேள்வி கேட்போம் ஏன் வேலை செய்யல அறநிலையத்துறையின் கீழ் இல்லாத கோவிலை எப்படி… https://t.co/7eYdEBU7En pic.twitter.com/DjacupY35r
— இந்திராணி M.Sc.LLB (@IndiraniSudala1) April 5, 2023
Realizing the fallacy in his tweet, the Dravidian Stockist and self-styled fact-checker put a tweet in which he said that the temple is privately owned but the HR&CE department is trying to take over owing to irregularities in administration.
“EO was appointed. But temple side did not accept and has started a case at the court. So, the officer has not yet taken over and hence the temple has not come under state control.”, he claimed.
இந்தக் கோவிலை விதிமீறல் காரணமாக அறநிலையத்துறை எடுத்ததுக் கொள்ள முயற்சி எடுத்துள்ளது.
(EO)அதிகாரி நியமிக்கப்பட்டார். ஆனால், கோவில் தரப்பு ஏற்காமல் எதிர்த்து சட்ட நடவடிக்கைகளில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர்.
அதனால் ,அதிகாரி இன்னும் பொறுப்பேற்கவில்லை, அரசுகட்டுப்பாட்டுக்கு வரவில்லை . (3/4)
— Iyan Karthikeyan (@Iyankarthikeyan) April 6, 2023
In response to the allegations, HR&CE Minister Sekhar Babu stated, “The pool where the Theerthavari was held was not a temple pond; it was a pond managed by the Panchayat. The Chief Minister chastised me for conducting Theerthawari in the temple without first cleaning the pond.”
Now, questions are being raised that if the pond came under the panchayat, why didn’t the local body take up desilting work.
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