Inhuman to ask people to take off clothes while entering temples: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
CM addresses Narayanaguru Jayanthi program in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister has criticized the system in certain temples asking devotees to take off their clothes before entering temples, calling it an act of injustice and also an inhuman practice, observed under the pretext of respecting God.
Siddaramaiah, who spoke after inaugurating the Brahmashri Narayanaguru Jayanthi program organized by the Department of Kannada and Culture at the Ravindra Kalakshetra in the city on Thursday, said, "We are all equal in the eyes of the Almighty. It is inhuman to ask a person to enter a temple only after taking off one's clothes. Such acts of inequality and discrimination, which are performed under the pretext of worshipping God but are giving rise to caste and religion conflicts, are insults to the Almighty."
Speaking about the social reforms undertaken by Narayanaguru, Siddaramaiah said that there was discrimination and conflict between religions and castes during the seer's time too, just as there are today, but Narayanaguru brought about a change in the society and its thinking style without leading to conflict. A perverse attitude that causes conflicts in the name of religion and caste by using worship of God as a pretext still exists, he opined.
"Narayanaguru found a way of worship that was free from any sort of discrimination. He told the people, do not attempt to visit a temple that denies you entry. Build temples in honour of your deities and worship them. As a result of the social revolution undertaken by Narayanaguru, as many as 60 new temples were built in Kerala. He also opened the temples he had built for people belonging to the lower castes, who were not permitted to enter other temples," pointed out Siddaramaiah, adding, "Narayanaguru also gave a lot of importance to education of the lower castes, stressing that it was a way to gain independence and strengthening the communities."
The Chief Minister opined that the social reformer cannot be said to belong to a particular caste or community, instead, he was a man of the world, who surpassed caste, creed and religion. "We therefore request the Union government to take the initiative of observing Narayanaguru Jayanti, the birth anniversary of the 'Vishwamanava'," he urged.
He assured that the requests of the people to the state government, to set up an 'Arya Eediga Development Corporation' and the construction of a hall, 'Narayanaguru Bhavana', will soon be fulfilled.
Pontiff of the Soloor Arya Adiga Mahasamsthana, Minister for Kannada and Culture Shivaraj Thangadagi, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, MLA Gopalakrishna Belur and Arya Adiga Samaja president Dr. M Thimmegowda present on the occasion.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
