Police in Tamil Nadu stopped administrators of the Sikandar Auliya Dargah from taking rice, vegetables, an electric stove and other cooking supplies to the shrine on Thiruparankundram Hill, citing a High Court order that prohibits cooking on the hill.
The incident took place on the route leading to the dargah, where police personnel were deployed for security. According to Dinamalar, Abbas, a designated caretaker, had gone to the shrine on the morning of September 24 with family members and provisions including rice, tomatoes, garlic and onions. The caretakers who attend to the dargah are understood to change once every seven days.
Police stopped the group and said cooking materials could not be taken to the hilltop. The administrators objected to the restriction and said it amounted to continuing interference with the religious rights of Muslims. They also said they would hand over the key to the dargah to the police station, according to the report.
The administrators later returned to the route with an electric stove and the cooking supplies. Police again stopped them, leading to an argument between the two sides. The dispute centred on whether food could be prepared at the hilltop while the caretakers were staying there for their scheduled period of service.
Police subsequently told the administrators that a High Court order prohibits cooking on the hill. They also said that, under the court’s directions, materials used for preparing food could not be carried to the hilltop. The report said that items such as dates and biscuits could be taken instead.
After the police explanation, the administrators were permitted to proceed with fruits, dates, biscuits and other similar food items. The report did not specify the case number or provide the text of the High Court order. It also did not state whether the dargah administrators plan to challenge the restriction or seek further clarification from the court.
The episode places the management of access to a religious site within a wider administrative framework involving security deployment, court directions and restrictions on activities at a hilltop public location. For visitors and caretakers, the immediate operational issue is the distinction between permitted food items and materials that could be used for cooking. Police enforcement at the access route is expected to follow the court order cited in the report.
