Hindu temple in Texas faces lawsuit following tagging of 11-year-old during religious ritual

April 6 :
A father sued the Sugar Land, Texas-based Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple and its parent organisation in August 2023, claiming that his kid had been branded with hot rods during a religious rite there.

According to Vijay Cheruvu, his kid endured "extreme pain and permanent disfigurement" after being branded on both shoulders. The plaintiff is suing the county court in Fort Bend, Texas, for $1 million in damages.

The paper goes on to say that T.C., the boy in question, was branded with hot iron rods together with other minor children. According to the claim, the defendants failed to give enough medication to alleviate the pain caused by the branding and failed to guarantee the presence of medical personnel on the ground to assure safety. Additionally, it was mentioned that T.C. was fully conscious throughout the ordeal and contracted an illness due to the branding.

Per a an article, Cheruvu and his ex-wife, who accompanied T.C. to the temple on the day of the branding, have shared custody of the child. According to a temple official who spoke with the media, the brandings were performed as part of a sacred ceremony. Burning or scarring a child is illegal in Texas under both statute and common law, according to Cheruvu's lawyer Brant Stogner. Neither the mother nor the child may give their agreement for such acts.

Furthermore, since Cheruvu, a Hindu, and his relatives and friends have never been branded, he concluded that the practice was not religious in nature. The purpose of the rite, he clarified, was not to honour a god but rather a specific religious leader. "This is a travelling guru, and he probably goes all over the place doing this, goes to different temples doing this," said Stogner.