Mangaluru (TOI): A sitting MLA of Maharashtra State Assembly was forced to cut short his Pooja on the banks of Kumaradhara River on Thursday after Kukke Subrahmanya officials intervened citing that rituals were not allowed anywhere but inside the temple premises.
Siddharam Satlingappa Mhetre is the MLA of Akkalkot Constituency of Solapur District, Maharashtra.
Kukke in charge CEO Ravindra MH said that they went to inspect the river bank after receiving complaints that Pooja was being conducted. ``When we found the MLA and his family performing Ganapathy Pooja at the behest of his purohit Siddeshwara, we told him to stop it as it was not allowed,'' he said.
After the temple authorities asked them to stop the Pooja, they were summoned to Subrahmanya police station where the MLA gave a bond that he would not conduct rituals outside temple premises.
Ravindra said if such rituals are allowed to be conducted by private parties, there would be no sanctity for the rituals conducted by the temple. Also, two more from Sivamogga was conducting Navagruha Pooja and ritual to rid of Kalasarpa dosha. The family conducting navagruha pooja had made a sand homa kunda on the banks under the guidance of purohit Jayadeva and astrologer Siddalinagyya.
The homas were being conducted since 4am.
