On 4 January 2025, the Tenkasi police arrested a man who allegedly poured petrol outside the entrance of Sri Kasi Viswanathar Temple in Tenkasi and set the area on fire.
According to sources, the man, identified as 31-year-old Anantha Balan from Kaezhaiyapillaiyoor near Kadayam, arrived at the temple around 8 a.m. He wandered briefly near the shrine before pouring approximately 10 liters of petrol, which he had brought in a plastic container, onto the granite floor outside the temple entrance. He then ignited the fuel, causing a fire to erupt.
The police suggested that the man might have been suffering from mental health issues. The fire caused temporary chaos at the temple, where devotees had decorated the ground with ‘kolam’ as part of the ongoing Maargazhi celebrations. Temple workers and nearby devotees immediately alerted the police and Fire and Rescue Services. While some tried to extinguish the flames, others restrained the man, who was eventually handed over to the police.
A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thamizh Iniyan, responded to the scene, and the man was later interrogated at the Tenkasi police station. During questioning, it was noted that he repeatedly spoke about “retrieving bones,” further suggesting he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis.
The incident caused panic among devotees, especially as renovation work is currently underway at the Sri Kasi Viswanathar temple in preparation for the upcoming ‘kumbabhishekam’. Devotees have since requested the authorities to deploy armed personnel around the temple to prevent similar incidents in the future.
(With Inputs From The Hindu)
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