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SANDEEP SINHA
The police have claimed to crack a series of temple theft cases that took place in the tricity. From the Saketri temple in Panchkula to the Sanatan Dharam and Digambar Jain temple in Sector 27, besides those in Sector 16, 19 and 24 were targeted.
On Friday, a protest was staged seeking action against the thefts.
On Tuesday, a day before the case was cracked, a visit to some of the temples, revealed the degree of concern. Shyam Sundar Shastri, the priest at Shiva Shakti temple in Sector 30, said the alarm was natural as places of worship were unusually being targeted. Shastri says the management of the temple is looked after by a committee that decides on everything—from the location to the facilities and hiring of staff, including the priests. The priests do not own the place, he clarified, and have only been hired to do a job for a salary. All offerings, from cash to valuables, are accounted for, and deposited in banks because the temple meets its expenses, incurred on rituals, bhandaras and langars from it. The salary is also paid from what the temple earns, he points out, agreeing that there was a need to boost security.
Pandit Virendra Narayan Mishra, at the Kali temple in Sector 30, outside which a protest was organised on Friday, headed by the head of the temple’s managing committee, Rakesh Pal Moudgil, was more forthcoming. He said it was an organised crime, the handiwork of some gang from outside. Mishra even called it a ‘conspiracy’ as places of worship of just one community was being targeted, and warned that unless the police and the UT Administration take it seriously, it could well degenerate into an attempt to polarise communities and vitiate the atmosphere. The snatching incidents are also to be seen in this light, he said.
Mishra confirmed that the earnings of the temples are accounted for and charitable activities, like paying of tuition fee of meritorious students, organising treatment for the sick besides holding langars, is done with that. However, he denied that the thefts could affect the temple economy saying devotees make the offering due to their aastha and it will keep getting replenished. The temple has CCTV cameras and takes other measures, but the thefts are alarming, he said.
At the Balak Nath temple in Sector 29, Purushottam Mahajan, former president, Chandigarh unit of the BJP, said the thefts are taking place because of flaws in the system. The rush makes it difficult to ascertain if a recce is being carried out. Of the four priests, two are always on duty, he said.
Places of worship are not just about religion. They also act as a community hub around which life revolves. Unless a place of worship has come up illegally, there is no controversy. A state like Rajasthan has a separate Devasthan department that monitors temples, dharamshalas, trusts and their properties. In Chandigarh, the affairs are managed by registered committees. When the plunder of Somnath temple took place, people waited for a divine miracle. It’s good that the priests and police acted this time without waiting for a miracle to take place.
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