The reputed Srirangam temple in Trichy is on the headlines for the past few days over an incident where a Bharathnatiyam dancer, familiar with the Lord and devotees, had faced humiliation at the temple premises when he came for worship. Importantly, the dancer is a Muslim by birth and his name is Zakir Hussain. Though born in the footsteps of Islam, Hussain has deeply inherited Vainavam, one of the major Hindu denominations.

Hussain is neither new for Srirangam nor for the state and beyond. He is a well-renowned dancer and he has visited the Srirangam many times and held dance events and has been a familiar face for the regular devotees of the famous temple. However, on December 10, Hussain had arrived at the temple for worship and this time, he had a shocking reception. He was stopped and humiliated for entering a Hindu temple by being a Muslim. He was forced to leave the temple premises and he also had received threats. After it has come to light, the incident and the temple management were slammed for its conduct of stopping the dancer. 

Following the incident, Zakir Hussain has filed a complaint with the Srirangam Police and the Trichy Police Commissioner. In his complaint, the dancer has alleged that he had been stopped from entering the temple and forced out by a person named Rangarajan Narasimhan, who does not hold any position in the temple management. Hussain further said that Narasimhan has stopped him in the presence of devotees. The event had drawn more attention as the incident has been taken up by the police with the intervention of the Tamil Nadu government. 

Speaking to a Tamil news agency, Hussain said that the board that was put up at the temple saying 'Non-Hindus are not permitted beyond this point' is an old practice and that he had been visiting the temple regularly since his childhood. He also said that anyone with a faith should be able to enter temples. He further said, "When I entered, he (Narasimhan) has said you are a Muslim, you are not allowed in here. He has held my throat and pushed me out all the way from the Kizhi Mandapam inside until the gopuram. " 

"He shouted at me the whole time and everyone at the temple heard him", Hussain added. The dancer further alleged that Narasimhan had used abusive language and issued death threats. Hussain said he had come out of the temple with humiliation. Zakir Hussain currently resides in Nungambakkam, Chennai, and he has been conferred with the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu government. He had held various dance events at the Hindu temples and he expressed his distress over how he was treated in the Srirangam temple. 

In his complaint, the dancer said, "The incident had got recorded in the CCTV cameras. Till now, no one, including the management and priests, has stopped me on the grounds of religion. But, no one can't save me when the incident happened and they were shocked because of a division among the devotees that was caused after calling out my name with religion. I have walked out of the temple with humiliation and due to mental stress after the incident, I have received treatment for hypertension and chest pain at the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Chennai on Sunday night. Strict action should be taken against Rangarajan Narasimhan for creating communal disharmony against the Indian sovereignty." 

According to reports, Rangarajan Narasimhan is known for his demands to remove temples from government control and his video of asking 'Who is Periyar?' went viral recently. Following the incident, Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments PK Sekar Babu has ordered an investigation into the matter. On the other hand, the management of the Srirangam temple had denied any role in the incident and the joint commissioner of the temple, Marimuthu has said, "The temple management hasn't denied entry to anyone inside the temple." 

"Several people from foreign countries with different religions are visiting Srirangam temple and the tourists are being allowed with some conditions. However, we came to know that Rangarajan has stopped Zakir Hussain from entering the temple. We have decided to file a complaint against Rangarajan in the Srirangam police station", Marimuthu added. The people who are working in the temple have said that Rangarajan Narasimhan had multiple times caused disruption to the temple and several complaints were filed against him.