Grace and disgrace

The ungodly treatment meted out to the Raghunath Temple in Jammu last Sunday was a disgrace. Had you taken a round of the temple before the ...

The ungodly treatment meted out to the Raghunath Temple in Jammu last Sunday was a disgrace. Had you taken a round of the temple before the attack, you would have wondered whether this was the same place where the guns of militants had boomed earlier this year, shedding blood.

Start from the security picket outside the main gate. Step in and after passing through the metal detector a cop – who is unarmed – will frisk you. Women are taken care of by a woman cop, also unarmed. A regular to the place for the last two months, there had been many occasions when I just passed by without going through this drill. My old mother was luckier. She was frisked only once. I am grateful to the woman cop for showing regard to my mother. Age, however, is no guarantee that mischief won’t happen.

A few steps away, a CRPF man stands in battle gear behind sandbags. But he can do little to stop you. He will react only if he is fired at. Further, on the way to the main temple, another CRPF guy is perched atop the second gate. He also cannot stop you. Once you are past this gate, in fact, no one can stop you.

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In such a setting, even people like you and me – forget militants – can create disturbances. I mean we can settle our scores with God, if with no one else. Like Amitabh Bachchan has been shown in his old movies, we can also hit our heads against temple bells.

That’s all there is in terms of security inside the temple. Now, three questions remain to be answered. When the IED blast took place last Sunday in the adjoining Hari Market, didn’t it occur to anybody to close the main gate? After all earlier, too, the same method – of first setting off a blast and then storming the temple – had been adopted by militants.

Why did no resistance come from the security picket outside the main gate? And why couldn’t the cop perched atop the second gate have targeted the sneaking militant? Anything can happen when women cops are worried about their gol gappas and male cops are worried about their female colleagues.

Now comes the news that the priests in the state may be provided weapons. With a weapon in one hand and prasad in the other, they would indeed present a curious sight. Even then one battle would remain to be won – that of greed. Instead of directing devotees to drop money in the donation boxes, they point to the puja thali. This is nothing short of disgracing God. Are not priests supposed to subscribe to the philosophy of santosham param dhanam, contentment is the greatest wealth, and preach it?

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While coming out of the temple, the people manning the shoe counters look expectantly at you. They want you to give them something as well. Yet their uniforms indicate that they are paid by the temple trust. Another attempt to exploit religious sentiments. The damage done by the militants can be repaired. But the disgrace to the Deity done by ordinary people? It’s time to look within as well.