SC should've considered Sant Ravidas' devotees sentiments: Hyderabad priest

Condemning the demolition of Sant Ravidas temple, chief priest of famous Chilkur Balaji temple in Hyderabad, MV Soundararajan on Friday said the Supreme Court should have taken into consideration the sentiments of the crores of the Sant Ravidas devotees.

Soundararajan, who is also a convenor of Temples Protection Movement opined that the teachings of Sant Ravidas belonged to the entire society and not just to one community.

Asserting that it is wrong to assume that Sant Ravidas has only SC and ST followers, Soundararajan said that people from all walks of life worship the 16th-century spiritual leader as he was a descendant of Ramanuja Sampradaya.

"Sant Ravidas was born in a cobbler's family and gained knowledge from his Guru Swami Ramananda, who was a great disciple of Ramanuja philosophy. There is a definite need for more community interaction and recognising the message of Sant Ravidas," he said.

His comments came after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) razed the temple in Tughlaqabad village in New Delhi, in compliance with the Supreme Court's order, on August 10.

Following the demolition, various political outfits and devotees took to the streets to register their protest. The protests also led to the arrest of Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and 96 others.

On Monday, the Supreme Court warned against politicising the demolition of the temple. The top court also threatened to initiate contempt proceedings against those provoking 'dharnas' and demonstrations.