Daijiworld Media Network - Madikeri (SP)

Madikeri, Aug 26: The daughters of chief priest of Tala Kaveri temple, Narayan Achar, are finding it difficult to claim the compensation amount announced by the state government in respect of their parents who died after the landslide buried them alive, because of the fact that they had undergone religious conversion.

It is learnt that the disbursal of compensation amount has been withheld as they have been found to have deserted Hinduism and joined another religion.

Kodagu district in-charge minister V Somanna, had handed over a compensation amount of Rs 2.5 lac each to the two daughters of the deceased priest, Narayan Achar. Achar, along with wife Shantha Achar, brother Ananda Teertha Swamiji, and two assistant priests Ravi Kiran and Srinivas, went missing on August 5 when Gajagiri hill suffered a landslide and buried their house. The bodies of Shantha Achar and Srinivas have not been found so far.

Achar's daughters are settled in Australia and New Zealand. They came here after learning about the fact that their parents were buried alive. In their complaint filed in Bhagamandala police station about their missing parents, they had mentioned their names as Sharada Achar and Namitha Achar. Cheques had accordingly been issued in their names. But now they have requested Madikeri tahsildar P S Mahesh, to change the name of beneficiaries as Shannon Fernandes (Sharada Achar) and Namitha Nazareth (Namitha Achar). The officials have asked them to submit documents about the change of their names.