Details of the Mysuru temple tragedy will come out in a day or two, says Parameshwara

Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister G. Parameshwara on Monday told the Legislative Assembly that traces of monocrotophos, an organophosphate insecticide, had been found in the ‘prasada’ served at Kicchugatti Maramma temple in Sulwadi village of Chamarajanagar district that has claimed the lives of 14 persons so far.

Inquiry ordered

Making a statement on the incident in the Assembly during the obituary motion, the Home Minister said an inquiry had been ordered to find out who mixed the ‘prasada’ with monocrotophos, and the truth would come out in a day or two. Already, seven persons have been taken into custody in connection with the incident, he added. “A search is on for some of the suspects who have left the village,” he said.

Congress member R. Narendra, in whose constituency the temple is located, said the deaths took place within 30 minutes of consuming the ‘prasada’.

About 150 people were shifted to different hospitals, he said, thanking private hospitals for timely intervention.

‘Muzrai should take over’

Suspecting that the rift in the temple management could have been the reason for the act of alleged poisoning of ‘prasada’, he demanded that the Muzrai Department take over the temple to prevent any recurrence of such incidents.

The issue figured in the Legislative Council too, with the Opposition members urging the government to take over the temple by appointing an administrator. Leader of the Opposition in the Council Kota Srinivas Poojary demanded that the compensation should be increased from the present ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh. He alleged that the government had completely failed in handling the post-tragedy scenario.

The House paid homage to the victims of both the temple ‘prasada’ and boiler explosion near Mudhol. A minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect to the departed souls.