The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Another PIL against installing Periyar statue in front of temple

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Saturday, Dec 09, 2006
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Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Another PIL against installing Periyar statue in front of temple

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) petition, seeking to restrain the Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) from installing a statue of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy in front of the Sri Ranganathar Temple in Srirangam, has been filed in the Madras High Court.

(Another PIL, filed by the Hindu Youth Forum, Tiruchi, against the statue is pending before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.)

The present petition, filed by Siva Sena general secretary H.T. Krishnamoorthy (48), said the DK was making arrangements to install the statue on Amma Mandapam Road in Srirangam, and that the move was motivated as it would affect the peace and harmony of the temple town.

According to him, the Periyar Statue Committee made the first proposal in 1973 and the then Municipality Chairman, Y. Venkatesa Dikshidar, passed a resolution to allot a land for installing the statue. Based on the resolution, a government order was issued on January 24, 1973 allotting the land near the local police station. In 1975, the allotted land was handed over to the Suya Mariyathai Kazhagam, a wing of the DK.

He said that repeated attempts to install the statue at the proposed site was postponed due to opposition from the local public, religious people and various Hindu organisations.

The proposed location was next to the Sri Patham of Sri Chithanya Maha Prabu, and there were several mutts in the area, he said, adding that the move would cause traffic congestion.

Besides seeking to restrain the DK from installing the statue on Amma Mandapam Road in Srirangam, the petitioner urged the court to call for records relating to the January 24, 1973 government order and quash it.

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