Revenue officials on Wednesday, June 7, 2023, sealed the Dharmaraja Droupadi Amman temple in Melpathi village, Villupuram district in view of the prevailing tense situation. The temple is in the midst of an ongoing dispute, with caste Hindus barring the entry of Adi Dravidars into it.
The temple was sealed by Villupuram Revenue Divisional Officer S. Ravichandran under Section 145 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) with a view to preventing any possible law and order problems.
The temple, located on government poromboke land has been under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department for the past 45 years. The HR&CE Department had taken control of the administration by appointing a Temple ‘Fit Person’ (Thakkar) on April 12 this year. However, one section of both the temple administration and village residents have continued to discriminate against Adi Dravidars and prevented them from entering the temple.
