Karnataka temple death: Cook's 11-year-old daughter dies after eating prasad
The cook Puttaswamy had felt the prasad did not taste like it did every day while preparing tomato bath that was served as prasad to people. However, he did not foresee any untoward incident as he had tasted it and had not fallen sick.
FollowChamarajanagar: At least 11 died and nearly 100 are fighting for their life, after consuming prasad at Maramma Temple in Chamarajanagar, near Bengaluru.
A fight between two groups in managing the temple affairs is said to be the reason behind alleged poisoning of the prasad.
Puttaswamy, the cook who prepares prasad regularly for the temple was preparing the offering on the fatal day of Friday too. While preparing prasad, he had a feeling that something was not right after he tasted it, but then rubbished his thoughts as an illusion and continued preparing it. That day, tomato rice was being served as prasad to the devotees, who had gathered in large number at Sulvadi village for the ground-breaking ceremony of the tower to be constructed on the temple.
The prasad was served to the people after the ceremony and cook's 11-year-old daughter Nalini was also among the people who consumed it.
Soon after consuming, people fell sick and started vomiting. They were immediately taken to the hospital but 11 died including Nalini.
It is alleged that there was poison in the prasad. Puttaswamy who had no idea about how the poison was infused in tomato bath was said to be rueful by stating that he should have eaten the prasad before giving it to devotees and his daughter.
Reports state that he had tasted it, but because it was in a small quantity, he did not fall sick. He was inconsolable that his daughter died after eating the prasad prepared by him.
In the same incident, a woman who had come to the temple along with her two-month-old child had lost her husband, died after consuming the prasad.
It is also said that a group from Tamil Nadu was looking after the temple and after a legal dispute the temple was handed over to the residents of Sulvadi, which led to fights between the two groups.
Currently, investigation is on and the alleged two groups are being questioned about how the prasad turned poisonous. Cops are also trying to look for the possibility of a different cause of death.
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