Kanchipuram, about 75km from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India, is yet to recover from the brazenness of 36-year-old S. Devanathan, who allegedly played out his “unholy” acts in the sanctum sanctorum of the Maheswarar Temple.
According to the Times of India police picked up the man in first week of November after they got hold of a CD showing his sexual exploits within the temple’s precincts.
Copies of the CD had apparently sold like hot cakes in the town previously only famous for its temples and silks.
With the media splashing salacious details of his relationships with a series of women, apparently from varied socio-economic backgrounds, the issue continues to rock the local community which comprises weavers and families associated with the management of the temples.
With some of the women now accusing the priest of rape, the case that was initially based on obscenity was transferred on Tuesday from the town’s police force to the district crime branch for investigation.
Clearly, what’s made the incident sensational are its voyeuristic and exhibitionistic aspects which seem out of place in a small town known for its orthodox traditions.
Police say the priest allegedly threatened and sexually assaulted at least 30 women.
Among the victims who approached the police is a 30-year-old woman, Malar (name changed), wife of a school teacher, living close to the temple.
She complained that priest had drugged her before raping her inside the temple.
She alleged that the priest had blackmailed her by recording footage of their sexual act on his mobile phone, and forced her to have sex with him on several occasions later.
Malar accused the priest of threatening to tell her husband about the relation if she failed to ‘co-operate’.
The priest would apparently visit her house requesting for milk to do prayers, as a way of communicating his desire to meet her at the temple.
“We have questioned Malar and recorded her statement,” Siva Kanchi police inspector S Pattabiram told the Times of India.
“There are many more victims to be questioned,” Pattabiram said.
Devanathan, a father of two teenaged daughters, surrendered to the police after being on the run for two weeks.
The accused was held under police custody and brought to court on Tuesday where his remand order was extended until Dec 14.
The priest faces several charges, including defiling a place of worship.
When he was brought to the court, a crowd of angry women besieged the police vehicle and attempted to beat Devanathan with broomsticks and slippers.
Forty-seven of them were arrested and later released.
The scandal was uncovered when Devanathan’s mobile phone was jammed.He took the phone to a technician for repairs.
The man, later identified as Senthil Kumar saw the video clips while fixing the phone and decided to cash in on the 19 episodes of instant porn-movies.
He has also been arrested and also detained under remand.
- TOI,The Hindu
Photo Source: The Hindu, Tamil Nesan
Montage by Hassan Bahri
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