Questions have been raised about the State Endowment Commissionerate’s lack of action against a temple employee who has been collecting personal data of devotees visiting the Jogulamba temple in Gadwal and misusing it. The employee, named Ranganath, has been gathering names, dates of birth, birth stars, and addresses of devotees. He then reaches out to them, claiming to perform special pujas in their names, and collects money. This has been brought to light by the State Viswa Hindu Parishad.
The employee has been working at the temple for 15 years and has gained enough influence to carry out his illegal activities. He does not provide proper receipts for various pujas and other daily rituals but still collects large sums of money from devotees. He also takes them through VIP routes without any official authorization.
The VHP PracharPramukh, P Balaswami, has accused the employee of crossing all limits. He mentioned a case where the employee pressured a woman named Reshma Khanna to marry a married Muslim man with children. Whenever someone questions the employee or demands a receipt, he threatens them by claiming to have connections with high-ranking officials, including the Chief Minister’s Office and local politicians. The VHP also alleges that the employee is involved in corrupt activities and conversions.
Following a directive from SP K Srujana, the employee has confessed to his actions to the Gadwal police. However, the girl and her parents decided not to file a complaint as she is getting married soon and they fear it would harm her future.
In response to this incident, the temple administration has submitted reports to the Endowments Commissioner’s office along with letters from villagers. They are awaiting a decision, which is expected on Monday after the weekend. The temple officials and board chairman are also planning to meet with the Endowments Minister and Commissioner to discuss the growing anger among villagers.
The VHP has demanded the immediate suspension of the employee and a thorough investigation into his motives and potential connections to the conversion mafia. State president Surender Reddy and secretary Pandarinath have voiced these demands.
