Guruvayur Parthasarathy Temple takeover sparks hartal call

Thrissur: The Hindu Aikya Vedi has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the district on Wednesday against the takeover of the Guruvayur Parthasarathy Temple by the Malabar Devaswom Board (MDB) under heavy police protection in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Citing favourable orders from Chavakkad Magistrate Court and a High Court, a team led by Malabar Devaswom Board executive officer T. C. Biju and manager P. Sreekumar, entered the temple along with a large posse of plainclothesmen at 4.30 a.m.

They later collected the keys of its bandarams along with cash and relevant documents kept in the officer from the manager who was in charge.

Three ACPs including Guruvayur's P. A. Sivadasan and seven circle inspectors and several officers stationed near the temple.

Considering protests from devotees and HAV members, they had brought in water cannons.

Even though the cops along with Devaswom officials had reached the temple on September 23 after the daybreak, they faced stiff resistance.

Chavakkad tehsildar Premchandran, deputy tehsildar T. K. Shaji and ADM C. V. Sajan also were present on Tuesday during the takeover.

The MDB had sought the legal permission for taking over the temple from the court citing the alleged corruption in its governing committee.

Two of its employees belonging to CITU had complained of corruption in the temple.

HAV state secretary P. Sudhakaran, associated with legal matters of the governing council, said the officials had not got any orders from the magistrate court or HC for its takeover, but they were interpreting them for their convenience.

He also said the HC was to hear the plea of the governing committee for an injunction and an appeal for police protection for the takeover of the temple on Wednesday.