Mangaluru: Kukke Sri Subrahmanya Temple administration has filed a police complaint against a Facebook video that allegedly offered devotees online booking for a purported ‘Special Ashlesha Bali Seva’ and used unauthorised photographs of the temple’s gopuram.Temple executive officer Aravinda Ayyappa Suthagundi said the complaint was submitted to Subrahmanya police after he came across the video Sunday.According to the complaint, the video claimed devotees could book a ‘Special Ashlesha Bali Seva’ for Nag Panchami at Rs 750. The temple administration said it had neither announced such a special seva nor authorised the social media account to accept bookings or collect money on its behalf.“A video circulated on Facebook falsely claimed that devotees could book special seva for Naga Panchami by paying Rs 750. It also used unauthorised photographs of the temple’s gopuram,” Suthagundi said.The administration alleged that the content was intended to mislead unsuspecting devotees and spread false information about rituals offered at the temple. It said such posts could hurt devotees’ religious sentiments and create a negative impression of the temple administration.Suthagundi urged police to trace the origin of the video, identify the owners or administrators of the Facebook account and ascertain whether any money was collected from devotees. He also sought stringent legal action against those responsible and measures to prevent similar online fraud.Kukke Sri Subrahmanya Temple, a prominent pilgrimage centre in Dakshina Kannada, is classified as a category ‘A’ institution under the Karnataka govt’s Hindu religious institutions and charitable endowments department.This is not the first such complaint by the temple administration. A few years ago, it moved police against a website that allegedly used temple photographs while offering online bookings for pujas and rituals.
