Earlier this month, the Karnataka Police achieved breakthrough success in connection with the repeated vandalism of Hindu Gods’ idols in the state. A man notorious for smashing and vandalising Hindu Gods’ idols was finally arrested by the police on December 10, 2021, from Saligrama village near the KR Nagar district of Karnataka.
The man told police he was breaking and desecrating idols of Hindu Gods because he thought people were being fooled and tricked into worshipping idols of stones. The police kept the identity of the arrested man under wraps citing security reasons.
The accused had broken ‘Shivlings’ after breaking into Sri Siddalingeshwara and Mahadeshwara temple located in Bherya village. The incident, which took place on December 7, had created quite a stir in the region.
As per a report, District Superintendent R. Chetan inspected the spot and commissioned a team under the leadership of the Deputy Superintendent of Police A.R. Sumith. The special team had launched an investigation into the matter and nabbed the culprit. The man had later confessed to his crime during interrogation.
The accused had thrown the idol of Shri Lakshmi Devi into a nearby well after deforming and dethroning the statue from the place where it was installed. The incident was under the jurisdiction of K.R Pet Rural police station. The accused also told the police that he had tried to break into Sri Anjaneya temple in Beeravalli village but had to abort his attempt after locals came to the spot.
As per police, the accused has been into breaking idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses for a long time. He firmly believed that people were being deceived as they worshipped stones believing them to be Gods. It was also revealed that there was no robbery of gold and silver ornaments, embellishments, or cash kept in the temples that the accused broke into. Further investigation is on.
Past instances of temple vandalism and idol desecration in Karnataka
It is worth noting that the above-mentioned case is not an isolated incident of temple vandalism and idol destruction reported in Karnataka. In October 2021, the Baikampady Karkera Moolasthana Jarandaya Daivastana and Naga Brahma Peeta were vandalised by miscreants at late night in Mangaluru. The miscreants had broken open the cupboard and thrown all the belongings of the Davisthana. At the same time, the gates of the temple were also destroyed.
Earlier, in April this year, two people were arrested in connection to an incident where a condom was found in a temple’s Hundi (Donation box) in Manguluru. The temple belonged to the local Manguluru deity Lord Koragajja who is considered an avatar for Lord Shiva. The arrested were identified as Raheem (32) and Taufiq (35) from the Jokatte area in Mangalore, who confessed to urinating in Temple’s Hundi.
In November 2020, the Hoysala-era idol of Mahakali at the Doddagaddavalli Temple near Hassan district, Karnataka was found damaged. It was suspected that miscreants in search of hidden treasure took advantage of the lack of security and vandalised the idol in the process.
