Thane police ask religious places to conduct background checks on priests, employees | Mumbai News

This initiative follows a tragic incident in which a priest and caretaker of a temple near Ambernath sexually assaulted and murdered a 30-year-old woman after she left her home in June. Following this, activists of the Thane District Bhoomiputra Sanghatana, a religious organisation, wrote a letter to senior police officials in Thane demanding increased security in the temples by conducting background checks on priests, caretakers and other staff working in the temples. “Temple priests and caretakers have taken advantage of the trust reposed in them to commit crimes,” said a member of the organisation, who wished to remain anonymous.

Recently, there have been numerous thefts, sexual assaults and murders at various religious shrines in Thane district. In many cases, the perpetrators were caretakers or priests who took advantage of the trust of the congregation to commit the crimes.

The Thane police responded by instructing local stations to collect information on all caretakers and priests. The move is aimed at improving women's safety in temple areas as concerns about violence against women are growing.

“Just like we do background checks on tenants from different areas, we can also check the custodians of all religious shrines who come from different places,” said a Thane police official. “Though it is not mandatory, it should be done for the safety of the community. Moreover, these places should implement CCTV and other security measures to prevent crime.”

Abhimanyu Gaikwad, a member of the historic Tisai Devi Temple in Kalyan, expressed his support for the initiative. “I will convey this to our mandal so that they can check the people we are employing on a temporary basis. Although all those currently working in our temple are villagers whom we have known for a long time, this is a good step for the safety of all devotees.”