The outrageous act of a Superintendent of Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment Department (HR&CE) putting up a new nameboard of the HR&CE Department without the words “Hindu Religious” in Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district triggered a huge outrage in the internet for the past two days.

The HR&CE minister Sekarbabu was forced to issue a statement today saying he has ordered the removal of the nameboard in Nagercoil calling the HR&CE “Charitable Endowment Department” sans the words “Hindu Religious” in front of the Superintendent office in Nagercoil.

The Hindu community at large was alarmed when the pictures of the HR&CE nameboard appeared in the social media without Hindu Religious being mentioned in it, as the HR&CE controls and manages over 37000 Hindu Temples and Hindu religious institutions in the State. A majority of the temples controlled by HR&CE are over 2000 years old.

With the penchant of government to singularly control Hindu Temples leaving out Mosques or Churches, the additional insult of the governing body controlling Hindu Temples being renamed sans the words “Hindu Religious” made Hindu devotees wonder whether the ancient Hindu temples under government control in Tamil Nadu be turned into Hospitals or Schools as it is often said by the ruling DMK/DK bigwigs.

Sekarbabu claimed that officials have been asked to issue a show cause notice to the concerned Superintendent who did the said mischief. Hindu devotees and Hindu organisations have demanded the sacking of the said Superintendent who removed the words Hindu Religious from HR&CE Superintendent Office nameboard in Nagercoil.

It is only expected that the Superintendent who has scant respect for Hinduism or Hindu Religion should not be in a position to supervise the management and control of ancient Hindu Temples in Tamil Nadu. Such a person is bound to turn a blind eye to all illegal activities and loot carried out under the garb of administering Hindu Temples under the HR&CE control.

The fear is more palpable with two back to back cases of temple vandalism in ancient Temples, where in one case at the 1500 year old Panchalingeshwara Temple in Ranipet, the female deity’s (Amman) Sari was removed, burnt and semen was found splashed on the Amman murti; in another case on the rocks surrounding ancient Hindu Temples atop Athri hills, Islamic symbol “crescent moon”, “Allah” and 786 was found scribbled.

Earlier Murtis were beheaded in a Chola era Temple in Pudukottai and the presiding deity of another Amman temple was found broken in Tirunelvelli on June 11. On June 26th the hands and crown of Amman murtis were found chopped off in a temple in Villupuram.

Needless to say, the DMK government itself collaborated with the Municipal Corporation to demolish seven temples, some of which were more than 100 years old, in Coimbatore. In this scenario having a Hindu-hating Superintendent supervising the Hindu Temples under HR&CE control would only increase the attacks on Hindu Temples in Tamil Nadu. It is therefore essential that the DMK government sacks the HR&CE Superintendent in Nagercoil who removed the words “Hindu Religious” from the HR&CE nameboard.

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