Caste discrimination at Devaswom Board; Scheduled Caste priest resigns

KOCHI: A Scheduled Caste priest who was appointed to the Travancore Devaswom Board three months ago has resigned from his job, fed up with caste harassment and retaliation by officials and union leaders. The latest victim of caste harassment is Neericode Koduvazhanga native P.R. Vishnu (23), a priest of the Vathurakkavu Bhagavathy temple in the Thiruvallur subgroup of the Paravur group.

Vishnu had faced caste harassment while working at the Thatthappily Bhagavathy temple as a substitute two years ago. The resignation was prompted by the Paravur Devaswom Assistant Commissioner's threat that Vishnu would not be able to work peacefully if he did not withdraw the complaint he had filed with the police. In his complaint to the Munambam DySP against the threat, Vishnu had also mentioned the state leader of the Left wing of the board, the Melshanti. Although a settlement was reached at the station, the union did not spare Vishnu. The money paid for the membership application was returned. He was removed from the WhatsApp group.

Although Vishnu joined the job on November 7, the revenge against him had already begun even before that. Two fake complaints were received when the advice memo for Vishnu was released. Both complaints contained a fake address. This was done to deny Vishnu an appointment at the Neericode Mahadeva Temple near his home. All these things have been mentioned in the resignation letter.

Behind the grudge

• In November 2024, Jayesh, the former chairman of the advisory committee, was arrested in a case of caste-based attacks on Vishnu while he was performing puja at the Thathappilly Bhagavathy temple in the Paravur group as a substitute.

• On November 7, 2025, when Vishnu took charge at the Vathurakkavu temple, he reported that two of the necklaces in the Thiruvabharanam were counterfeit gold. Devaswom filed a complaint at the Alangad police station, but later withdrew it.

• On January 30, 2026, Vishnu filed a complaint with the Munambam DySP, the Devaswom Board President and the Commissioner for the Devaswom Assistant Commissioner of Paravur, threatening that he would not give Vishnu peace if he did not withdraw the complaint against Jayesh. The complaint was settled at the Paravur station.

I realised that it was extremely dangerous for someone like me, a Scheduled Caste member, especially as someone who does not yield to the whims and injustices of officials and union leaders, to work on the board. I resigned because there was no other option.

P.R. Vishnu