Hyderabad: In wake of tensions following the desecration of the Mysamma temple at Puranapul Darwaza in Hyderabad’s Old City, the Hindu community stepped up to welcome the sandal procession during the Urs Sharif of Sufi Azam, displaying communal harmony on Friday, January 16.
Pramod Kumar Jain and KL Srinivas were seen garlanding the Muslim community as they took out a sandal procession on the occasion of the Urs Sharif, displaying the true essence of brotherhood in the Charminar area of Hyderabad.
The annual death anniversary observance for the Saint is held with spiritual gatherings, prayers, and lectures after the procession, to honour the revered Sufi Saint, Hazrat Sufi Azam.
Mysamma temple desecration
The temple located in the Puranapul area of the city was vandalised by unidentified persons on the night of January 14, which angered Hindutva members, leading to violence.
Locals filed a complaint after they noticed a stranger inside the temple premises, reportedly damaging idols. The complaint alleged that the person took an idol and threw it to the ground, and later fled the scene by jumping over a wall.
A case under sections 24(2) (mischief), 329(4) (criminal trespass), and 298 (damages or defiles a place of worship or sacred object with the intent to insult a religion) was lodged.
Soon, a communal clash broke out in the city that night, after the masses saw a flexi board torn and a damaged deity idol inside the temple.
Videos of an angry mob stomping and wrecking the graves with sticks, chanting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, as well as damaging a religious flag, in the presence of police personnel, emerged on social media.
Subsequently, on Thursday, January 15, the police said that the suspect involved in the incident was arrested.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rajendranagar, said, “The suspect was apprehended within 24 hours of the incident. Police are currently investigating the case and interrogating the suspect to collect further evidence.”
