HR&CE officials complain of cop harassment

This is the first time a senior HR&CE official is reacting to a police crackdown.

Earlier, the idol wing police had said that the two newly made panchaloha idols, weighing a total of 115 kg, should ideally have 5.75 kg of gold (5 per cent of the total weight).

Talking to DT Next, M Kavitha, HR&CE Additional Commissioner (Thirupani) slammed the idol wing CID police saying that the sleuths terrorised the department with baseless allegations on media.

The police have also launched a probe into the alleged embezzlement of fund and gold in the making of the idols and registered FIR against nine persons, including temple executive officer, chief sculptor of Tamil Nadu and the temple priest.

“Police are claiming that there should have been 5.75 kg of gold in the two idols and when they checked with positive material identification (PMI) machine, they found no gold in the idols. There is no rule that every idol should have 5 per cent gold in it,” the HR&CE official said, adding that HR&CE has never come across such machine which can detect gold in panchaloha idols.

“When there is a ban on use of gold, how the idols have gold? Following a circular issued by the secretary to the HR&CE officials, since the year 2011, all temples under HR&CE were told not to use gold in making any temple artifacts, including idols,” M Kavitha said quoting circular dated August 5, 2011. According to circular, no golden cars, golden kalasams, golden vimanas, golden statues and other similar gold works should be made for any temple. The circular further asks all the temple officials to preserve existing jewels and precious stones of the temple. There should not be any expenditure to the temple for making such or similar expensive Thirupanni involving gold or precious metal.

However, if any donor is willing to bear the entire expenditure of any such golden work, such things can be permitted by HR & CE Commissioner, subject to rules and regulations in force.

A senior Idol wing officer however pointed out that in the case of Ekambaranathar temple, the temple officials had obtained a separate permission from the HR&CE Commissioner which allowed them to receive gold donation up to 5 per cent of the weight of two idols. “We are not harassing anybody. We will summon the officials for submitting documents in connection with the probe,” the official added.

The official also noted that there are nearly 400 cases of idol missing/ related are being probed by the idol wing cops.