The tension caused by the desecration of Muthyalamma temple in Telangana’s Secunderabad continues, and on Saturday it led to a confrontation between protesting Hindus and the police. Police resorted to lathi charge on the devotees who were protesting at the temple premises.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal had called for a state-wide bandh on Saturday, which was supported by other Hindu groups and traders organisations, against the vandalization of the idol of Shri Muthyalamma Devi Temple on Monday. Amid the bandh, a large number of people including women and children arrived at the temple premises to participate in a demonstration.
A heavy police force was deployed at the venue. Amid the sloganeering of the protestors, some of the protestors allegedly threw stones, water bottles and footwear at the police, injuring a few cops. As a result, the police decided to use force against them, and canned the Hindu devotees. Several protestors were injured in the lathi charge by the police.
As per reports, while a large group of protestors tried to stage a sit-in in front of the temple demanding strict action against the culprit, another group tried to barge into Metropolis hotel at Secunderabad road, a hotel linked to the temple vandalism case. However, the police prevented them from doing so, and chased them away.
After this, some people in the protest hurled footwear and stones at the police. The police resorted to lathi-charge to chase away the protestors as some of them were turning violent.
BJP MLA Raja Singh condemned the lathi charge, calling it brutal and unjustified. He said that police used force when the Hindu devotees were peacefully protesting at the temple. “It is deeply disturbing that when our religious sentiments are attacked and idols desecrated, we are not even allowed to raise our voices in a peaceful manner,” he said.
Raja Singh said that the real question is, who ordered the lathi charge. He said, “Those responsible for desecrating the temple should be facing action, not the devotees who seek justice”. The MLA added that “this is a clear example of the Congress party’s appeasement politics, where the concerns of the majority are consistently ignored.”
I strongly condemn the brutal and unjustified lathi charge on our Hindu brothers who were peacefully protesting at the sacred Matha Muthyallamma Temple in Secunderabad.
— Raja Singh (@TigerRajaSingh) October 19, 2024
It is deeply disturbing that when our religious sentiments are attacked and idols desecrated, we are not even… pic.twitter.com/fciZcs1mQ4
On Monday (14th October), an idol of Muthyalamma temple in Telangana’s Kurmaguda region in Hyderabad was vandalised. It was allegedly done by one Salman Salim Thakur, who was apprehended by locals and handed over to the police after beating him.
Hyderabad police have also filed a case against well-known motivational speaker Munawar Zama of Mumbai and two other people for inciting hatred and motivating Salman for hate crime. Under the pretence of holding a month-long session on personality development, they were encouraging hatred towards Hindus among the participants.
Salman Salim Thakur was one of the 151 attendees of the workshop that took place at Metropolis Hotel in Regimental Bazaar. Abdul Rasheed Basheer Ahmed and Rehman, the manager and proprietor of the hotel, are the two other people booked.
Motivational speaker Munawar Zama provoked people to start riots in addition to fomenting animosity between different communities based on religion. He also allegedly provoked Salman to damage the idol of the goddess at Muthyalamma temple. Police added that Zama organized the session with assistance from Basheer and Rehman, but he did not have permission to conduct it.
The police have also sealed the hotel where the program took place. The administration has promised to repair the vandalism done at the temple.
