Katpadi DMK men seek H Raja’s help to restore temple land

Police thwarted the efforts of the public to stage a demonstration on Monday against the takeover.

As all temple committee members were DMK workers, they met Duraimurugan a couple of days ago and sought his help to ensure that the cooperative body did not take over the land prior to selling it. “Duraimurugan coolly told us that as the records reveal the land was not registered in the temple’s name, it continued to be in the public domain and hence he was helpless” said K Balaji a committee member.

Temple committee leader R Vasantharaghavan told this reporter that “documents clearly state that the land belongs to the temple. The land was given to the temple in 1990 when construction started and the kumbabishekam was performed in 1992.”

“We have approached BJP national secretary H Raja who promised to intervene and do the needful,” said Balaji.

Locals said the temple committee would get no help from the cooperative township as all board members were DMK men owing allegiance to Duraimurugan. Their anger was reflected in the thin participation in the DMK agitation against water shortage on Monday.

Temple committee secretary K Surendran said “overnight the fence was bulldozed as also the borewell which provided water for the daily pooja. The temple priest realised this only when he could not get water for the ritual.”