Following some social media posts that four Hindu priests performed a shuddhikaran (purification) ceremony at the government-run Kala Academy, where late Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s mortal remains had been displayed for the public to pay respect, Goa’s Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude ordered a probe into the matter on Saturday.

In a Facebook post, Mr. Gaude said, “I have taken a strong note of some activities carried out in the Academy premises as rituals today. I have ordered an inquiry into it. We cannot promote or patronise unscientific activities inside government buildings.”

Member Secretary, Goa Kala Academy, Gurudas Pilernekar said, it appears the priests had been called by a staffer of the Academy for chanting ‘Om’ mantra, and not a purification ceremony. He, however, could not explain why the chanting was conducted.

Photos of the four priests chanting and walking about in the area, where Parrikar’s remains had been kept until the final rites, had surfaced on social media. Parrikar died on March 17, after a prolonged battle with advanced pancreatic cancer.