Kerala Devasom Minister draws public ire for treating holy water as sanitiser
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Kerala Devasom Minister K.Radhakrishnan
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Devaswom Minister K.Radhakrishnan has earned the wrath of public for using the holy water of the famed Sabarimala temple as a hand sanitiser.
As per reports, the Devasom Minister arrived at the famed temple along with Travancore Devaswom Board president Ananthagopan and local legislator Pramod Narayanan on Monday to attend a temple function during which the priests opens the temple to prepare for welcoming devotees for the new fresh season, the next day.
As is the custom, the priest pours the 'holy water' on the palms of the people who consume it a bit and smear the rest over their head in reverence.
With a battery of press photographers and more than a dozen TV channel cameras waiting to capture these moments, Radhakrishnan was caught using the holy water like a sanitiser.
The act has created a furore in the social media with many accusing the Minister of "disrespecting" the holy water.
Radhakrishnan hails from the Scheduled Caste community and is a former Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly.
Meanwhile, the minister opened TDB's free food distribution centre near Malikappuram temple at 8 am on Tuesday. The free food centre, which can accommodate 5,000 devotees at a time, offers food thrice a day.
The minister also inaugurated the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sangham (ABASS) assistance centre for the devotees at Sannidhanam. The ABASS centre offers free food, medical first-aid and stretcher service for emergency medical care for devotees.