KURNOOL: How safe is the Srisailam temple? Are VIP visits to temple safe? Not so if one were to go by the happenings at the temple town as both police and temple security are at loggerheads.
The distrust was palpable when police made an attempt to arrest the chief security officer of the temple on the grounds of selling abhisekham tickets on the black market.
Temple executive officer A. Ramachandra Murthy had to intervene to stall police interference and told police not to enter the temple premises.
Kurnool police had deployed 200 policemen to regulate pilgrim flow during the Karthika festivities.
With Maoists footprints allegedly being confirmed in Nallamala, co-ordination with trained staff is a basic necessity, but police are simply running the show with home guards and para security.
Temple executive officer A. Srirama Chandra Murthy said that a co-ordination meeting was held on Thursday to sort out the issue with DSP of Atmakur.
He said that providing darshan to recommended visitors should be based on protocol. A map of protocol was drawn and temple services would be made available to them based on their designation and rank in the department. Police and temple security staff would work in co-ordination and act as per the requirements of protocol, the EO said.
Atmakur DSP Vinod Kumar said that all issues with the temple staff were sorted out and local police were given strict instructions to adhere to the protocol of temple services to government employees as agreed upon.
The temple security has been bagged by a politician with close links to the Chief Minister. He also enjoys equal support from the main opposition leader in the Assembly. With such infiltrators within the temple structure, how is a bureaucratic change possible at Srisailam is the question.
In the past a police station at Srisailam was blasted by Naxalites in 2001. 24 dalits were massacred at Vempenta village in Atmakur which now falls under Srisailam constituency.
Thieves eye offerings at the temple. It is common knowledge that pilgrims, who visit Srisailam temple, pay homage by placing cash, silver and other valuable articles in the hundi kept in the temples their mite, and such collections, sometimes include silver and other valuable articles.
