No divine blessing: Deadly prasada kills 10 in Chamarajnagar

Bengaluru:Tragedy struck at a temple in Hanur in Chamarajnagar district on Friday where ten people died and some 82 people were hospitalized after they were fed prasada  -  chitranna (rice bath) allegedly laced with pesticide- with the death toll likely to go up as the condition of a few in hospital is said to be critical.

Suspecting foul play, the police swung into action and picked up two people for questioning  with one of them said to be a priest and member of the temple trust. The incident took place at Kicchgutti Maramma temple situated at Sullawadi village in Chamarajanagar where a function was organised as part of the foundation laying ceremony in which hundreds of devotees from neighbouring villages too attended. Those who have fallen ill, have been admitted to various hospitals in Chamarajanagar city and Kollegal town and JSS hospital, Krishna Rajendra hospital and BGS Apollo hospitals in Mysuru.   

While five people died in the Kollegal hospital, the other five breathed their last at three hospitals in Mysuru. Over 70 crows too have died after eating the poisoned food strewn by devotees near the temple.  

Recounting the sequence of happenings, local villagers said that after the puja got over around 12 noon on Friday,  rice bath was served to the devotees as prasada. After some time,  people started vomiting and fell unconscious, frothing at the mouth indicating that there was something wrong with the prasada they had consumed.  

The villagers informed the police who rushed the patients to the nearby primary health centre where some were given first aid while others were moved to hospitals in Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.