Mysure: Were devotees caught in the crossfire between envious priests belonging to two states with rivalry spanning disputes as varied as sharing of water of the river Cauvery to control over Brahmeswara temple?
Though the motive behind serving devotees prasadam laced with either with an insecticide or chemical fertilizer remains a case of whodunit, some local residents believe that bitter rivalry between priests hailing from Tamil Nadu and those from MM Hills claimed the lives of 11 devotees while scores of others are battling for life in various hospitals. "Earlier while Kichuguththi Maramma temple was managed by priests from Tamil Nadu (Thammadi), now priests of Male Mahadeswara hills are managing the temple. While those hailing from Tamil Nadu are offering pooja at Brahmeswara temple, the Kichuguththi Maramma temple draws more devotees," says Swamy (name changed), a resident of Maartalli village. Priest Chinnappi's son Lokesh alleged: "the priests of Brahmeswara temple who hated my father might have mixed poison to kill my father since my father had taken the lead in building the 'gopura' (tower) of the temple."
“My son, who was studying in class I, was not sent to school and taken to the temple instead by his mother on Friday as it was his sixth birthday. While her condition after eating the prasada is critical at the Bhanavi hospital in Mysuru, I will have to cremate our child in her absence,” cried a grieving Mr Shanmugam, whose son Preetham died after eating the prasadam suspected to have been laced with poison at the Kichuguththi Maramma temple in Sulavadi, Hanur taluk, Chamarajnagar district on Friday. He was declared brought dead to the Apollo hospital.
With tears welling in his eyes and holding his year- old daughter and four- year- old son, who luckily did not eat the prasadam, he took Preetham’s body in an ambulance to his Bidralli village in Chamarajnagar district for the last rites.
The family of 45- year -old Krishna Nayak too grieved as he also passed away after eating the prasadam. His wife, Shantha Gopamma is in the ICU of a private hospital here, and has no idea about her husband’s death. “We have to cremate Krishnanayak in his wife’s absence,” grieved Shivu, a gram panchayat member of Maartalli.
Similar heart rending scenes were seen near mortuaries in Mysuru and Chamarajnagar as the police handed over bodies of all the 11 devotees, who died after eating the temple prasadam on Friday. Three of the dead belong to Mysuru and eight to Chamarajnagar.
Even those who did not go to the temple like 75- year- old Paapa Bai of Maartalli are suffering. The woman, who ate the prasadam brought home by her daughter- in- law, Saroja is in the emergency ward of the KR Hospital here, and the latter is in the ICU of a private hospital. “As we were focusing on Saroja we did not know our mother too had consumed prasadam and her sickness went unnoticed. When we later got to know, we immediately shifted her to the hospital in Mysuru,” said Paapa Bai’s son, Doreswamy.
Mr Sharath Chandra, IGP (Southern Range) said: “Police have taken five people including three from temple administration including a trustee, a cashier and a priest into custody for interrogation. The food and utensil samples have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the toxicology report is awaited. And even the viscera of those who died in incident have been sent to FSL after autopsy”.
