Days after photos from the marriage ceremonies of the minor daughters of priests at the Chidambaram Natarajar temple in Tamil Nadu surfaced on the internet, fresh videos of a girl child getting married at another such ceremony have now surfaced on social media platforms. Cuddalore police are conducting an inquiry to know who solemnised the marriage and where the ceremony took place based on the videos. The photos that were leaked earlier had disproven the claims made by Governor RN Ravi, who had alleged in a May 4 interview with Times of India that no child marriages took place in Chidambaram and the Social Welfare Department lodged eight false complaints of child marriage against priests of the Natarajar temple out of “vengeance”. The new videos provide further evidence that these marriages did indeed take place.
In his interview, Ravi had also alleged the priests’ daughters, Class 6 and 7 students, were forcibly taken for a medical examination and subjected to the banned two-finger tests. He also claimed that some of the girl children tried to die by suicide because of this. His statement, however, was vehemently refuted by the police and doctors association. But the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took suo motu cognisance of the Governor’s allegations and launched an investigation into the incident.
Later on May 26, NCPCR member Dr RG Anand who conducted the inquiry concluded that what RN Ravi claimed is 100% true. He also claimed in a press conference that the Dhikshitars’ (priests) underage daughters were not subjected to child marriage and that the children were forced to say they were. A day earlier, however, media reports had quoted him as saying that there was no evidence the two-finger test was performed on the minors.
Between September and October of 2022, two Dikshitars — who are the priests of Chidambaram Natrajar temple — were arrested by Chidambaram police following complaints of child marriage. Based on the evidence, the All Women’s Police Station in Chidambaram booked four cases under Section 366 (a)(procuration of minor girl) of the Indian Penal Code and the 9th and 10th sections of the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. Eight men and three women were arrested in connection with the case, and the investigation is still underway.