‘Sack temple priest’, says Sivagiri Mutt head on Kerala caste row

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cautioning society against forces striving to take Kerala back to the times when it was a “lunatic asylum”, Sivagiri Mutt chief Swami Sathchidananda has called for dismissal of the temple priest who subjected Devaswom Minister K Radhakrishnan to caste discrimination.

The Payyannur incident showed that the practice of untouchability still persisted in the state, Sathchidananda, who is the president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust, said.

“What the minister was subjected to was untouchability. This is a disgrace to the state that gave birth to Sree Narayana Guru,” he said, addressing a public meeting organised as part of the 96th samadhi day observance of the Guru at the mutt on Friday.

Radhakrishnan had recently shared an incident of alleged caste discrimination by priests during the inaugural function of ‘nadapandal’ at a temple. A priest had placed the lamp on the floor instead of directly handing it to him.

Govt should take a tough stand on issue

Later, it came to light that the incident occurred at Nambyathra Kovval Siva Temple in Payyannur on January 26. Sathchidananda said it was unfortunate that the minister revealed the incident only after six months. “He should have raised a protest on the same day, and the people should have supported him. The priest should be dismissed from service,” he said.

“Non-action against the priest is an example of the soft stand taken by governments on such incidents. This should be stopped. The government should take a tough stand on the issue,” he said.

Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian inaugurated the public meeting. “Guru, through the renaissance process, showed light to this land. He saw all religions as one and his vision is relevant in the present-day times,” he said. Health Minister Veena George was the chief guest