Ahmedabad: A disturbing incident has recently emerged from Ahmedabad’s Kubernagar, where a temple priest allegedly died by suicide on the premises of the holy place. Through a video message, the priest’s son, Brijesh, alleged that his father was mentally abused by a few people, including builders, corporations, and cops. He claimed that the people in question wanted to demolish the temple set up by his grandfather in 1972. “The area, Santoshinagar, is established because of this temple,” Brijesh added.
Police Refutes Demolition Claims
The priest, identified as Mahendra Minekar, reportedly took the extreme step due to mental torture. The demolition claims were, however, refuted by the police officers and civic body. “The allegations by the son will be investigated. A case of accidental death has been registered,” TOI quoted VN Yadav, ACP (G-Division), as saying. Meanwhile, the police have recovered a suicide note from the scene, purportedly written by the temple priest.
Priest Asks Son To ‘Save Temple’ In Suicide Note
In the suicide note, the deceased priest has asked his son to save the temple. He mentioned that the temple land was his birthplace and a holy place for his family and the whole community.
AMC Clears Its Stance
Meanwhile, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has clarified its stance through a statement. It mentioned that Santoshinagar is situated on the corporation’s own land, located in the Naroda ward of the North Zone area. The area accommodates around 475 residential slums and about 22 commercial shops.
The corporation further stated that the developer who was in charge of the project was recently informed to plan the redevelopment work. They asked him to exclude an area of 1,251 square meters occupied by the existing ancient temple, ‘Santoshimata Mandir.’ The statement notes that the temple was decided to be kept as it is, and at the same location to avoid hurting the religious sentiments of people.
