Siddhivinayak trust calls viral video on rats in prasad a conspiracy

MUMBAI: A DCP-level inquiry has been initiated after a viral video showed what appeared to be rodents inside a blue plastic tray with prasad (offering to God) in Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple in Prabhadevi. While the video has sparked concerns about hygiene, Sada Sarvankar, president of the temple trust called it “a conspiracy against Hindu temples”.
Speaking to the media, Sarvankar said, “It seems like those rats were kept in a plastic bag by someone and placed in the tray with the prasad of ladoos. We have asked for a committee at the DCP level to find out if the location of the video was from the temple premises. The place where we make our ladoos is super-hygienic, and the site in the video doesn’t seem clean.”
Sarvankar added that the incident appeared to him like a conspiracy to malign the temple trust’s name. “What other reason and motive could there be than to tarnish the name of this famous Hindu temple?” he said. “Do rats go on their own and place themselves in a plastic bag? And if they are in a bag, how did they enter the container? The bag was deliberately and strategically placed inside the blue tray.”
The trust president emphasised that in order to maintain purity in prasad-making, the management and civic administration did everything possible to ensure that there was no compromise on quality. “The ladoos are made in extremely hygienic conditions and all the ingredients like ghee, cashews and cardamoms—even the water—are tested in BMC labs,” he said. “We want to ensure that Ganeshji’s prasad is shudh (pure) before offering it. So the clip has no truth or substance in it.”
Sarvankar added that the trust had 25 trained workers who maintained a high level of hygiene. “We have cages installed to trap mice, if any, all along the temple premises so that they can’t enter,” he said. “We will ascertain through CCTV cameras who is responsible for this mischief.”
Veena Patil, CEO of the Siddhivinayak temple trust, said that the inquiry report would be shared with the media after the investigation was completed, and whoever was involved in the desecration of the prasad would not be spared.
When Sarvankar was asked whether this was an internal dispute of the trust or could be a political ploy, he said, “There is someone behind all this but we are not clear about the motive. Maybe it is being done to tarnish the names of Hindu gods and hurt the religious sentiments of devotees. What has never happened in 100 years is happening now, and we are shocked.”
Patil reassured devotees about the preparation of prasad, noting that while both coconut vadis and ladoos were offered, the latter were more popular. “The selection of vendors for ingredients is done transparently through e-tendering,” she said. “For the eight key raw materials, including ghee, sugar, and cardamom, samples are tested in a lab before moving to commercial bids. Only after a thorough inspection of the vendor’s laboratory are the terms finalised. Even the plastic used for wrapping is tested to ensure quality. Unused plastic packets are sent to BMC recycling plants. We make 50,000 ladoos daily, with a higher demand on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Each ladoo has a shelf life of one week.”
The controversy comes just a week after a stir over allegations that the Tirupati temple ladoos in Andhra Pradesh were adulterated with animal fat, sparking outrage among devout Hindus.