Wed Jan 01 15:40:14 UTC 2025: ## Eight Ayappa Devotees Arrested for Assaulting Mutt Staff in Udupi
**Mangaluru, January 1, 2025** – Eight Ayappa devotees, identified as Shivakumar, Vishal, Raju, Naveenraj, Ravikiran, Bhanu, Upender, and Ravikanth, all from Hyderabad, were arrested by Udupi Town police for allegedly creating a disturbance and assaulting staff at the Udupi Krishna Mutt.
The incident occurred on December 29th during a period of high foot traffic at the temple. The devotees are accused of assaulting Mutt staff member Jagadish, Mutt Diwan Nagaraj Acharya, and a Udupi District Reserve Police Constable, Ravindra, who was on duty.
Based on Constable Ravindra’s complaint, the police apprehended the eight individuals and presented them before the jurisdictional court. The arrests followed allegations of the devotees disrupting the queue for darshan and engaging in violent behavior.
First Piper 