Hyderabad: The chief priest of the Chilkur Balaji temple, Sri Rangarajan, was attacked by members of the Hindutva group Rama Rajyam after he refused to support them financially and against helping them recruit more members into the organisation. The priest was essentially attacked by the accused, who claimed to be of the ‘Iskhvaku’ clan, for not accepting their ‘mission’
While the police have not mentioned it, the organisation according to its website is a Hindutva organisation operating from Hyderabad.
According to the police, the Chilkur Balaji priest Rangarajan was attacked on February 7 at his residency. At about 8 am, about 20 to 25 people from the Rama Rajyam organisation clad in black uniforms arrived at the house. “They demanded him to support financially as well as to recruit people into the ‘Rama Rajyam Army’ and assaulted him,” said the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rajendranagar in a press release.
One held for attacking Chilkur Balaji priest in Hyderabad
The matter came to light the next day on February 8, after Sri Rangarajan lodged a complaint and a case was registered. All the accused were identified, and on the same day, the founder of the Rama Rajyam organization and the main accused Kovvuri Veer Raghava Reddy, 45, was arrested. He is a resident of Manikonda, and a native of Koppuru village, Annaparthi Mandal, East Godavari District, in Andhra Pradesh.
The priest’s father MV Soundararajan in a statement on February 9 said that the accused had ‘landed blows’.
On Monday, February 10, five other accused, including two women from Khammam and Nizamabad districts were arrested and produced before the court, said the police. According to the police, Veer Raghava Reddy started ‘Rama Rajyam’ in 2022 on social media platforms, including Facebook, and he also operated a YouTube channel.
‘Rama Rajyam’ and attack on the priest
On the organisation’s website, its motive is to rid society of evil. The mission of the Rama Rajyam reads: “What is the need of Rama Rajyam? The current Criminal Justice system establishment, are evil–disciplined and is only defending wealthy criminals and no dharma is seen in the process. Anyone paying a fee to the litigant and going around the court can never hope that justice will ever be done. Hiranya–Kashyapa & Ravana in earlier times had bounties and protective shields. Now the Judges and the Police are using Section 77 of IPC, Judges Protection Act, section 197 of CrPC and Article 124 (4) of the Constitution of India as the protective shields to commit evil crimes.”
The police said that Veer Raghava Reddy used Bhagavad Gita slokas and manipulated people to join the Army to “protect Hindu Dharma”. He also announced that individuals registering between September and December 2024 would be recruited into the ‘Rama Rajyam Army’ with a salary of Rs 20,000.
In response to this post, 25 members first met the accused on January 24 at Tanuku. After four days of stay, they travelled to Kotappakonda, where they contributed Rs 2,000 each and had uniforms stitched by a local tailor. February 6, after receiving the uniforms, they gathered at a house at Yapral in Hyderabad and took photos and videos in uniform with the organization’s backdrop.
The next day they reached the Chilkur Balaji priest’s residence next to the temple and attacked him after threatening him.
