Amid the targeted attack on Hindus by radical Muslim mobs in Nagamangala village in the Mandya district of Karnataka, a picture of Lord Ganesha’s idol being caged in a police van went viral on social media.
The heartbreaking image surfaced online soon after radical Muslim mobs ran a rampage in Mandya and pelted stones at the idol of Lord Ganesha during the immersion ceremony on Wednesday (11th September) night.
By Friday (13th September), images of a cop carrying an idol of Lord Ganesha to safety began trending on social media. The Hindu deity was seen locked in a police van instead of being placed at the temple.
As a Hindu this makes me sad, here’s the entire story on
— Singh Varun (@singhvarun) September 13, 2024
How Did Ganesha Idol in Karnataka end up in a Police Van? pic.twitter.com/8pazu9Ps2A
Speculations were soon rife on social media about the whereabouts of the Ganesha idol and the location of the incident. While it was initially believed to be from Mandya, it turns out that the ‘arrest’ of the Hindu deity was carried out in Bengaluru.
As per a report by OneIndia, the seizure of the idol of Lord Ganesha occurred during a protest by Hindus in Bengaluru against the atrocities committed against their community in Mandya.
The Bengaluru police arrested 40 Hindus for taking out demonstrations in the Town Hall area allegedly without permission. The protest was organised by the Bengaluru Metropolitan Ganesh Utsav Committee.
This visual of Lord Ganesha in a police vehicle is terrifying.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) September 13, 2024
Why is the Congress hell-bent on insulting our dieties, & belittling the belief and faith of millions of Hindus? pic.twitter.com/mFux03khJg
Following the arrest, the police deployed at the site took the Lord Ganesha idol from the Hindu protestors and put it inside their caged vehicle. At that time, photographers covering the demonstration clicked pictures of the Hindu deity being ‘arrested’ by the Bengaluru police.
While speaking about the matter, a cop told OneIndia, “The group of people attempted to protest in front of the Town Hall without permission. As a precautionary measure, about 40 individuals were taken into custody.”
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya took to X (formerly Twitter) to slam the local police and the Congress-led-Karnataka government for hurting Hindu sentiments. “This visual of Lord Ganesha in a police vehicle is terrifying. Why is the Congress hell-bent on insulting our dieties, & belittling the belief and faith of millions of Hindus?” he tweeted.
