Mysuru: A complaint has been lodged against the Administrative Officer (AO) and staff of Chamundi  Hill Temple for allegedly assaulting a devotee who had come to have darshan of Goddess Chamundeshwari atop the Hill yesterday. The complaint has been lodged at K.R. Police Station by H.S. Subbaraja Urs, a resident of Vidyaranyapuram.

In his complaint, Urs has told the Police that as yesterday was the last Ashada Shukravara, he had come to the temple and had entered the sanctum sanctorum at 4.30 am when he was called aside by the AO and his five-six staff and assaulted him.

“I have been visiting the temple since the last 30 years and every Friday I climb the steps of the Hill to reach the temple. As it was the last Ashada Shukravara, I had come to the temple on Thursday night itself — as there would be heavy rush — along with my friends and was waiting for my turn at the North entrance of the temple,” he stated.

Urs said that the gates of the temple were opened at 4.30 am and he entered the sanctum sanctorum. “As I was to enter the temple in the queue, the AO pulled me out of the queue and was assaulted by five to six men. The friends who came along with me tried to prevent but they too were assaulted,” he stated in the complaint.

A case of mistaken identity?: He has told the Police that a person by name Subramanya had called from the Chamundi Hill Temple office on Thursday evening asking him (Subbaraja Urs) to withdraw a complaint given to Mysuru DC against the AO. “He threatened me of dire consequences if I do not withdraw the complaint. As I had not filed any complaint and was not even aware of the issue, I disconnected the phone thinking that it was a wrong number,” he stated in the complaint.

He has told the Police that it was a pre-planned attack against him inside the temple and has requested the Police to take action against the assaulters.

Another source claimed that Subbaraja Urs was mistakenly assaulted thinking that he was Prof. P.V. Nanjaraja Urs, who had threatened to complain to the DC against the Temple AO for alleged misappropriation of temple ticket money. But the Police are yet to confirm this theory.