Actor and BJP leader Namitha alleged that she was asked to provide proof of being a Hindu during her visit to the Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple in Madurai in Tamil Nadu on Monday.
She alleged that a temple official prevented her from visiting the temple and demanded proof of her being a Hindu, news agency PTI reported.
“For the very first time, I felt alienated in my own country and in my own place that I needed to prove myself as a Hindu! It’s not about that I was asked about it, but instead HOW I was asked about it. Very Rude and Arrogant officer and his One Assistant too,” she said in a post on Instagram.
The actress, who is a state executive member of the BJP, said that it was “a known fact” that she was born a Hindu, and that her marriage was solemnised in Tirupati and her son was named after Lord Krishna.
“This being the case they spoke rudely and arrogantly and demanded a certificate to prove my caste and my faith,” she said.
However, a senior official from the temple said that Namitha and her husband were enquired if they were Hindus as they were wearing masks and they were told about the traditions of the temple.
The official was quoted as saying by PTI that she was anointed with kumkum on her forehead after the clarification and they were taken inside the temple.
When asked about this, the actor said that she was allowed inside the temple only after clarification of her faith and applying kumkum on her forehead.
“There’s a way of asking. I was made to wait for 20 minutes in a corner. We had informed the police about our visit on Sunday,” she said, adding that she was wearing a mask as she didn’t want to disturb devotees who may recognise her.
Namitha was quoted by PTI as saying that her visit to Madurai was “spiritual” and she had gone to celebrate Janmasthami festival at ISKCON.
In a video message on Instagram, she also requested Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu to take action against the temple official who had behaved rudely with her.
(With inputs from PTI)
