Hyderabad: A series of incidents involving the vandalisation of temple idols have raised concerns amongst civil society given that these events are happening one after another. In November alone, three incidents of vandalisation were reported, including two at Shamshabad near the airport and another in Shadnagar, about an hour away from the city.
Right-wing groups in Hyderabad and outside the city have, each time, held protests in response to such incidents. This comes even if the accused does not belong to the minority communities, which was proven in the Shamshabad case, according to the police.
Growing cause of concern in Hyderabad
Civil society members in Hyderabad have expressed growing concern over the increasing incidents of idol vandalism. Right-wing groups in Telangana, mainly Hyderabad, are more likely to stir up trouble under the Congress government. An example is the recent idol desecration at Muthyalamma Temple in Secunderabad, where a man named Salman from Bombay was arrested for allegedly vandalising the idol last month.
While he was arrested and jailed, right-wing groups gathered in protest leading to a riot-like situation. Several police officers were injured in the chaos. “Such incidents are definitely on the rise under the Congress. It is the government’s failure unable to maintain law and order,” said activist SQ Masood from the Old City of Hyderabad.
Telangana: Tension in Shadnagar after Shivalinga damaged in temple
Interestingly, except for two incidents in October, the other communal incidents have all transpired out of Hyderabad. A senior Telangana police official stated that there is no evidence linking these temple desecrations, but acknowledged that there is cause for concern. “We are keeping a watch and have asked the local police to be more cautious,” he told Siasat.com.
A senior advisor to the government, who did not want to be named, said that right-wing groups are “certainly” trying to cause trouble under the Congress government. “I have told the chief minister also to tighten law and order because it is something concerning. The BJP is silently also working and growing on the ground level in some areas,” he added.
Apart from the incidents in November, a mentally unstable man had damaged a Durga idol in Nampally. The senior policeman added that in recent cases, the accused vandalised idols due to local rivalry or due to being mentally unstable. “So we can’t say these are connected,” he added.
