India, April 9 -- When he was appointed as a priest in a temple in northern Tamil Nadu's Tindivanam town, it was a watershed moment. The 40-year-old was the among the few other backward classes (OBC) man set to serve the sanctum sanctorum - as part of a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam initiative to usher in non-Brahmin priests into temples.

Four years on, the dream has soured. One day in February 2022, he sat overnight in the temple sobbing, afraid to leave the premises because the main Brahmin priest had threatened to get him murdered when questioned why he was not allowed to perform pooja in the main shrine.

"At first, the only work I was given was to buy pooja items for the temple and household items for the main priest's home," the 40-yea...