Three people were detained by the police for allegedly causing damage to the gold-coated mast at the Sabarimala temple, media reports said.
In view of the incident, the Travancore Devaswom Board, which manages the hill shrine, has made a decision to strengthen the security from the downhill Nilackal to the "sannidhanam", the temple premises, a top official said. After preliminary interrogation, five people from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh were taken into custody.
Initial investigations have revealed that the chemical used to damage the mast is likely to be mercury. The accused have confessed to the crime, claiming that they did it out of devotion, said police.
The damage was noticed in the afternoon after the rituals were over. It may be recalled that the temple attracts millions of devotees from across the country every year.
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The persons were handed over to police and further details would be known only after a detailed probe.
"We will not spare them", said state temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran.The Travancore Devasom Board, which manages the affairs of the temple, said the mast has suffered serious damage. It took almost three hours to finish the repairing works.
The ceremonial installation of the Rs 3.2-crore flag mast was held on Sunday between 11:50 am and 1:30 pm. Apparently, one of the trio was seen pouring some liquid over the base of the flag mast.
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