Yashodhar Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Jul 6: It's been a year since the sensational theft of ancient idols worth crores of rupees from the Siddhanta Mandir at Moodbidri.
Around 19 idols made of gold and encrusted with pearls, precious stones and diamonds were stolen on the night of July 5 from Siddantha Mandir of Guru Basadi. The theft had grabbed much media attention, and the police investigation teams had traversed four states in search of the idols, nabbing prime accused Ghanshyam alias Santosh Das in Andhra Pradesh, his wife Deeptimoyee Mohanty and father-in-law Digambar Mohanty from Odisha and jeweller Subhash Sancheti alias Raja from Chattisgarh. Some of the idols were recovered from Mohanty's home at Bhubaneswar.
All the idols that were stolen from the Siddhanta Mandir have been found, but they haven’t reached the Basadi yet. The politicians had even promised to set up a police outpost in Jain Pete, but it continues to remain a promise. The proposed construction of a full-fledged Siddhanta Mandir also remains unfulfilled. The lock that has been put on the main doors of the temple is yet to be opened.
Jains around the world had protested against this act. Various saints and swamijis also staged a hunger strike. Taking it as a challenge, the then police commissioner Manish Karbhikar had been successful in tracing the accused and recovering a few of the idols. Santosh's father-in-law Digambardas Mohanty and wife Deeptimoyee was firs arrested for supporting him. A person who purchased those idols, a jeweller named Raja alias Subhash Sancheti from Chhattisgarh was arrested, but the police were still unable to trace the remaining idols. The idol thief and the purchaser were said to have strong political connections and hence the police were finding it very difficult to trace the idols.
Then, even as the Karnataka state government got ready to hand over the case to the CBI, both the accused and their supporters, worried by the development, couriered the stolen idols to Mangalore police commissioner's office on November 5. It was, however, later said that some of the idols that were in melted form, were not the actual ones, and that the actual idols were sold in Bangkok for a whopping Rs 2,400 crore. But there was no official confirmation of this deveopment.
Temple still shut
The main door and the windows of the temple have been shut ever since the incident. The other worship idols of the temple are kept in bank safe lockers. Proposals were passed for the reconstruction of a strong, safe and secure temple, but nothing has been done so far.
No outpost
After the incident, the then union minister M Veerappa Moily had a discussion with the Jain community leaders, led by Swasthishree Bhattaraka Charukeerthi Pandithacharya Swamiji of Jain Math, with regard to the various security measures to be carried out. Moily had also promised to open set up a police outpost in a week, but even after a year, the promise has remained just that.
After arresting the accused and taking the idols into their possession, the police submitted a charge sheet in the Moodbidri court. The investigating officers urged the archeological department to check the value of these idols, but the department rejected the request.
The devotees and the visitors to the temple used to pay a certain fixed fee. Due to the closure of the temple, the number of devotees from northern parts of India are lesser and the income of the temple has also plummetted.
"We are worried that the idols have not yet reached the temple. We are observing July 5 as a black day in Moodbidri. We will also perform various religious rituals for the recovery of the idols," said Bhattaraka Charukeethi Pandithacharyavarya Swamiji of Jain Math.