After 2 years, Sulvadi temple set to reopen

MYSURU: Nearly two years after the Sulvadi temple tragedy which claimed over 17 lives, the Kichuguttu Maramma Temple is all set to reopen on October 20. The temple, under the Muzrai department, is making hectic preparations to welcome devotes from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.  However, the survivors of the infamous prasadam tragedy, most of whom daily wage labourers, are still struggling with the government failing to keep up its promise.

On December 14, 2018, hundreds of people were hospitalised after consuming poison laced prasadam at the temple. The tragedy claimed lives of 17 people including five women and two children. Around 100 fell sick and survived after treatment at various hospitals. The police cracked the case and arrested all the four accused including junior pontiff of Salur Mutt Immadi Mahadeva Swamy who had allegedly hatched the plan to avenge his enmity with the senior pontiff.

The then JDS-Congress coalition government led by CM H D Kumaraswamy had announced compensation of `12.5 lakh to families of the deceased and `1.5 lakh to survivors besides announcing free follow-up health checkups for survivors in major hospitals.

Sadly, most of the survivors who received compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh from the social welfare department had to spend all the money in treatment as many were denied free treatment facility at major hospitals.
The then government had also announced a site and two acres land for families of the deceased but many claim that they were given sites in a disputed land and are not in a position to carry out any works there.