Two temple guards hacked to death in Tamil Nadu, Opposition slams law, order failure

Two temple security guards on night duty were found hacked to death inside the premises of a temple near Rajapalayam in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district on Tuesday.

The Nachadai Thavirtharuliya Swamy Temple functions under the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.

The deceased were identified as Pechimuthu (60) and Sankara Pandian (50). Police said the third guard, Madasamy, who had worked the previous day shift, returned on Tuesday morning and noticed the small side gate near the main entrance open.

Upon entering, he reportedly found the two men lying dead with cut injuries and alerted temple authorities, who then informed police.

According to officials, the temple hundi (donation box) appeared to have been tampered with, suggesting a break-in and attempted theft. The bodies were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem. Relatives staged a protest, refusing to accept the bodies until arrests were made. A detailed investigation is under way.

Opposition leaders criticised the state government over the incident. State BJP Chief Nainar Nagenthran posted on X that the killing of guards at a temple under HR&CE control showed “there is no law and order even on paper,” alleging the DMK government’s “continued anti-Hinduism and laxity in temple maintenance” was encouraging such crimes. He urged the government to ensure swift arrests.

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami also condemned the killings, calling the deaths of the guards at the temple “shocking” and holding the state government responsible for what he termed a deteriorating law-and-order situation. He urged the government to take strict action and arrest those involved.

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