Hanuman temple vandalized in Telangana’s Shamshabad, one arrested – India TV

One person was arrested and taken into custody in connection with an incident of vandalism at a Hanuman temple in Shamshabad in Telangana’s Rangareddy district, police said on Tuesday. “The property of Hanuman temple in the airport colony has been damaged. Hence, we have deployed our team. Local police have reached the spot,” B Rajesh, DCP, Shamshabad told ANI.

“According to the people here, an unknown person came here and damaged the property. We have taken him into custody. We are also talking to the temple committee members about the restoration (of the damaged property),” the police official said.

The locals held protests demanding strict action against the perpetrator. In recent months, Hyderabad had witnessed two separate incidents of vandalizing of Hindu idols, prompting protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other religious organizations.

The first incident involved the vandalism of a Durga idol at a Puja pandal at Nampally Exhibition Grounds, within the jurisdiction of Begum Bazar police station in Hyderabad.

Police reported that the person responsible was a vagrant and that there was no foul play.

According to police, he was hungry and while searching for food, he accidentally disturbed the Prasadam, damaging the idol. However, BJP leaders have called for a detailed investigation.

The second incident, which led to widespread protests, was the vandalism of Muthyalamma temple in Mandal division of Secunderabad. Many BJP leaders including Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddyvisited the temple complex and condemned the incident.

One person was arrested by locals and handed over to the police. He was later identified as Salman Salim Thakur. The Hyderabad Police later discovered that Thakur had arrived in the city to attend a month-long personality development workshop. BJP leaders have demanded an NIA probe into the matter.

(With inputs from ANI)