Hundreds of people, particularly women, staged a sit-in protest near Karur against the arbitrary land acquisition. They claimed that the land on which they resided belonged to the temple, and they opposed the temple officials’ attempts to seize it. In a show of resistance, the public sat on the temple’s steps, blocking access and preventing the temple from opening.
The protest was sparked by an order from the Madurai branch of the High Court, which authorized officials from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) Department to acquire vacant plots and houses in the name of the Vennaimalai Balasubramanya Swamy Temple, located in Karur district.
On the previous day, the HRCE had issued notices to seize seven properties, including a private bank office, at the Ayyappan Temple in Vennaimalai.
In response, the public held discussions with HRCE officials at the temple’s office. During the talks, they requested more time before the land acquisition took place. Following this, Karur’s Assistant Commissioner of the HRCE, Ramani Kanthan, asked to write a petition and attempted to leave. However, the protesters blocked his exit, preventing him from leaving the office.
The situation escalated as the public took their protest to the steps of the Balasubramanya Swamy Temple, engaging in a Sit in demonstration demanding an end to the land acquisition. When the priests arrived to open the temple gates for the Shashti Puja at 5:00 pm, they were unable to proceed because the protesters had blocked the entrance. The priests then turned back without opening the temple, leaving devotees disappointed as they could not worship.
The protesters, instead of leaving, set up arrangements to cook dinner in the temple grounds. Meanwhile, Karur Town’s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Selvaraj, deployed more than 25 police officers to maintain security at the Vennaimalai Balasubramanya Swamy Temple complex as the protest continued.
(With Inputs From Dinamalar)
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