Caste abuse scandal: Devaswom officials booked after priest forced to quit

KOCHI: A fresh controversy has erupted in Kerala as the Paravoor police have officially registered a case against a Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Assistant Commissioner and a melshanthi (chief priest) following allegations of severe caste-based abuse.

The victim, 23-year-old PR Vishnu, a priest at the Vathurakkavu Bhagavathikshetra, faced a systemic campaign of harassment that ultimately led to his resignation after just three months. The accused are Sujatha Udayan, Assistant Commissioner, Travancore Devaswom Board (Paravoor) and Krishnan Entanthiri, Melshanthi at the Lakshmana Perumal temple and former state committee member of the TDB Employees Confederation.

Vishnu’s ordeal began long before his resignation. Two years ago, while working at the Thathappilly Bhagavathy temple, he faced caste-based discrimination. Though he filed a complaint with the Munambam DySP, it was initially settled at the local police station level.

However, the "settlement" did not end the hostility. Vishnu alleges that union officials began a targeted campaign of revenge:

• He was coerced into dropping his formal complaints.
• The union abruptly refunded his membership fees.
• He was systematically expelled from all union-related WhatsApp groups.

Official Intervention

The case was finally registered a month after Vishnu filed a fresh complaint on February 5. The momentum for this legal action picked up after Kerala Kaumudi highlighted the abuse.

Following the report, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes took suo motu notice of the incident, invoking the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Commission issued a stern directive to the State Devaswom Secretary and the State Police Chief, demanding an explanation and a report on actions taken within five days.

The investigation has now been handed over to the Munambam DySP.