Another temple official killed in TN

Himalayan News Service

Chennai, January 20:

Another temple official has been murdered in Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu. Srinivasaachar, 40, manager of the Uttaradhi mutt, a Vaishnavite sect headquartered in Patna, was found stabbed to death at the monastery’s premises last night. Police said a milkman discovered the body at about 7.30 am today in a pool of blood.

The Uttaradhi mutt is located behind the Varadarajaperumal Vishnu temple, where the murder of A Sankararaman, a temple official, in September led to the arrests of Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi and his junior, Vijayendra Saraswathi. Srinivasaachar was the manager of the mutt in Kanchipuram and the administrator of the mutt’s properties.

He was known to be a critic of the way the various mutts in Kanchipuram functioned. The Uttaradhi mutt is frequented by north Indian pilgrims and has a branch in Sriperumbudur, another temple town located between Chennai and Bangalore.

The manager of the Sriperumbudur mutt was staying with Srinivasaachar last night. A special team has been formed to investigate this new murder. The police have sealed the mutt. The latest investigation is also led by Prem Kumar, the officer in charge of the team probing the Sankararaman murder.