Police in Thiruparankundram stopped administrators of the Sikandar Auliya dargah on the hill from taking cooking supplies to the shrine on Thursday morning.
According to local practice, caretakers visit the hill for worship and rotate once every seven days. Caretaker Abbas and his family were reportedly heading up with rice, tomatoes, garlic, onions and other items to cook and eat.
At the security checkpoint on the uphill path, police said cooking materials are not permitted to be taken to the top. The group objected, alleging their worship rights were being curtailed, and said they would hand over the dargah key at the police station.
A short while later, they returned with an electric stove and additional supplies, but were again stopped, leading to an argument. Police later cited a High Court order that cooking is not allowed on the hill and advised that only items such as fruits, dates and biscuits may be carried.
After this, the administrators were allowed to proceed with only fruits, dates and biscuits, police said.
