Man held for throwing sticks at idol in Hyderabad temple; Union Ministers condemn incident

HYDERABAD, Oct 2: A 40-year-old man was taken into custody after he allegedly threw sticks at an idol of Goddess Santoshi Mata at a temple here on Friday, an incident that drew condemnation from Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay Kumar.

A video purportedly showing the man entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Santoshi Mata temple and throwing sticks at the idol was circulated on social media. The priest and some devotees were seen offering prayers at the time.

Following the incident, devotees at the temple caught hold of the man, tied him with a rope and handed him over to the police. They also raised slogans condemning the alleged desecration of the idol.

The temple committee chairman subsequently lodged a complaint with the police, based on which a case was registered under relevant sections of the BNS at Chaitanyapuri police station, a senior police official said.

The man was taken into custody, he said.

Further investigation was underway to ascertain the motive behind the alleged act, police added.

Expressing outrage over the incident, Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar said he had spoken to the Commissioner of Police and demanded an immediate investigation and firm action against those responsible.

In a post on X, Sanjay Kumar said the Congress government must ensure the security of temples and devotees. "Incidents of this nature cannot be brushed aside every time," he said.

Kishan Reddy condemned the alleged "attack" on the temple.

He alleged that attacks on temples, assaults on Hindu sentiments and "appeasement politics" had become commonplace in Telangana under the Congress government.

The union minister for Coal and Mines said the Congress government must stop its alleged appeasement politics, take responsibility for what he described as a deteriorating law-and-order situation, offer an unconditional apology to Hindus for its alleged failure to protect places of worship and sentiments, and initiate strict action against those responsible.

"What is even more disturbing is the growing sense that the Congress Government has failed to take the protection of Hindu places of worship and the law and order situation seriously, with no action till date on a series of attacks on temples," he said in a social media post.

Referring to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's reported remarks in the past that "Congress means Muslims, Muslims mean Congress", Kishan Reddy said such rhetoric raised serious concerns. (PTI )