Trust Chairman, Sada Sarvankar, says temple on hit-list of terrorists, as tension rises
Devotees offer prayers at Siddhivinayak temple in Prabhadevi. Pic/Ashish Raje
The Siddhivinayak temple management on Friday said it will not allow coconuts, garlands, and ‘prasad’ for offerings starting May 11 for security reasons.
Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir Trust Chairman, Sada Sarvankar, said thousands of people visit the temple everyday and it is on the hit list of terrorists. A senior police official held a meeting with the trust recently.
“The coconuts offered are not detected during security screening, and this could lead to danger. The prasad could be poisoned. To avoid this, we will not allow garlands and coconuts to be offered to the deity for the time being,” he said.
These ‘temporary’ measures are in the wake of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, said the management. Sarvankar said the temple trust is also trying to see if it can make available flowers and ‘durva’ grass for devotees so that they can offer it to the deity.
He said in an enhanced security measure, the trust will also recruit 20 retired armed forces personnel. “Safety of devotees is the responsibility of the police and the temple trust,” Sarvankar added.
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