FACING POLITICAL warmth over incidents of vandalism at temples throughout the state, the YSRCP authorities in Andhra Pradesh on Friday launched investigation studies in 9 instances by which opposition TDP and BJP staff and sympathisers have been accused of spreading false information and instigating the assaults. The studies, nevertheless, don’t say who focused the temples.
The authorities claimed that 17 TDP members and 4 BJP members have been concerned in instances associated to vandalism at temples. Thirteen from TDP and two from BJP have been arrested on this connection, it stated.
Both the TDP and BJP stated the federal government was attempting guilty the opposition events as a substitute of going after those that indulged in vandalism.
TDP normal secretary Nara Lokesh stated, “Instead of arresting the persons who actually desecrated the idols and attacked the temples, they are arresting people for their posts on social media and or writing reports in newspapers, highlighting the issue.”
The TDP has claimed that there have been over 145 incidents of vandalism at temples throughout the YSRCP regime. However, the federal government has listed solely 9 instances, blaming TDP or BJP staff for false data.
BJP state president Somu Veeraju stated the federal government was making a determined try and blame different political events. “There is no effort to catch the real culprits. This is an attempt to put blame on other parties,” he stated.
In one of many instances, TDP sympathiser C Madhusudhan Reddy, who posted a message on Telegram about miscreants damaging an idol of Goddess Saraswati at Srungeri Shankar Math in Guntur district, was arrested for spreading false data. The police report stated Reddy forwarded the information about an incident that occurred two years in the past.
In a separate case, two TDP staff and two BJP staff have been arrested in Rajahmundry Urban on September 12 final 12 months for alleged false propaganda {that a} Lord Ganesha idol had been desecrated. The police report stated TDP’s V Prasad Babu and C Sandeep and BJP’s A Varaprasad and Ok Srinivas Rao unfold the faux data.
In a December 5 case, the police arrested B Subbareddy, 44, a TDP sympathiser, for placing a garland of slippers on an idol of Lord Hanuman. According to the police, they discovered throughout investigation that Subbareddy’s father had offered the piece of land on which the idol was erected. However, anticipating that the YSRCP authorities would purchase that land at good worth to offer it to eligible beneficiaries underneath a authorities scheme, Subbareddy allegedly garlanded the idol to say that the land already offered by his father as his.
In one other case, on December 28, the Kurnool Police arrested 4 TDP staff – Syed Fakruddin, B Jayaramudu, G Ramanjaneyulu and G Peddaiah – for allegedly demolishing an idol at a temple in Maddikera. The FIR, nevertheless, nonetheless states that unknown offenders demolished the idol.
In a December 30 case, police in Kurnool arrested alleged TDP sympathiser Viswanatha Reddy, a temple committee administration member of Lord Anjaneya Swamy at Marlamanda village, after he reported that legs of one of many idols within the temple had been chopped. Two journalists who reported his declare in native media have been additionally arrested. The police report claimed that an electrician, whereas working contained in the temple, slipped and fell inflicting harm to the idol.
In a separate case, six native reporters who have been alleged TDP sympathisers have been arrested on expenses of reporting “false” information that idols of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha and Goddess Chenchu Lakshmi have been broken at a temple in Prakasam district. The police stated the six knew the idols have been broken as a result of put on and tear.
In a case of January 6, 2021, police in Visakhapatnam district arrested two alleged TDP activists for claiming that an idol of Lord Ganesha at Yetigryampeta village had been vandalised. The police stated the 2 unfold false information on social media despite figuring out that the idol broke a very long time in the past.
In one other case of October 10 final 12 months, Ok Ravi Kumar, BJP mandal secretary in Sompeta village in Srikakulam, was arrested for importing images of a broken idol of Lord Hanuman from the native temple on social media. The police report stated the idol was broken in a cyclone and Kumar posted the images to advertise enmity between communities.
In one other case of September 23 final 12 months, Srikakulam Police arrested D Acharya, an alleged BJP member, for false propaganda on social media that the an idol of Goddess Saraswati at an area temple was vandalised. The police report claimed Acharya did it regardless of figuring out that the idol was broken lengthy again as a result of put on and tear.
