Why such incidents have been happening in Congress rule?: G Kishan Reddy on temple vandalism in Hyderabad
Oct 20, 2024
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 20 : Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday reacted sharply to the alleged vandalism of Muthyalamma temple in Secunderabad, asking the Congress government why such incidents have been happening in their rule?
"In Hyderabad, Shri Muthyalamma Devi Temple was attacked by miscreants last week. The idol of the Devi has been destroyed. There is a conspiracy behind it. Adjacent to the temple, around 200 people were being trained in the name of personality development," Reddy told ANI.
"I want to ask the Congress government, why such incidents have been happening in their rule," Reddy further said.
He also raised eyebrows over the alleged police lathi-charge on people protesting over the issue on Saturday.
"Yesterday, people were peacefully protesting over this issue, but the police started lathi-charge on them. I demand (Congress leader) Rahul Gandhi that Congress people should apologise to people of the Hindu community," he said.
Earlier on Saturday, Telangana Police lathi-charged protestors at the Shri Muthyalamma Devi Temple in Hyderabad where a large crowd had gathered to protest the alleged vandalism of the temple idol.
Hyderabad had already witnessed two separate incidents involving the vandalization of Hindu idols, sparking protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other religious organisations.
The first incident involved the vandalization of a Durga idol at a Puja pandal at Nampally Exhibition Grounds, within the jurisdiction of Hyderabad's Begum Bazar police station. Police reported that the person responsible was a vagabond, and the act was not deliberate. According to the police, he was hungry and, while searching for food, accidentally disturbed the Prasadam, damaging the idol. However, BJP leaders have called for a detailed investigation.
The second incident, which triggered widespread protests, was the vandalism of the Muthyalamma temple in Secunderabad's Mandal division. Many BJP leaders, including Union Minister and Telangana BJP President G Kishan Reddy, visited the temple complex and condemned the incident.
One individual was caught by locals and handed over to the police. He was later identified as Salman Salim Thakur. Hyderabad police later found that Thakur had arrived in the city earlier this month to attend a month-long personality development workshop. BJP leaders have demanded an NIA investigation into the case.