Representative image showing people protesting.
Credit: iStock Image
Hyderabad: A row erupted on Wednesday over meat being found in a temple here but the matter ended after CCTV visuals conclusively proved it was a cat that tiptoed inside the shrine with what emerged later as mutton.
The incident at Tappachabutra in the old city created a flutter before police concluded, based on video evidence that it was the cat that caused trouble.
Earlier in the day, a protest was held after the piece of meat was found inside the Lord Shiva Temple in the Hanuman Temple premises under Tappachabutra Police Station.
A release from Hyderabad Police said they received information on Wednesday morning that a piece of meat was found inside the temple premises.
Police swung into action and senior officials visited the temple to assess the situation.
The meat, weighing around 250 gram, was seized and it was subsequently found to be mutton, a police official said.
Four teams were immediately formed to analyse CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
During investigation, footage from one of the CCTV cameras near the temple clearly showed a cat carrying meat in its mouth and entering the temple premises, police said.
The footage conclusively proved that the cat was responsible for placing the meat behind the Shiva Lingam, it said.
In light of these findings, the police appealed to citizens to refrain from spreading rumours or misinformation regarding the incident.
A temple committee member earlier told a TV channel that someone threw meat near the Shiva Lingam. Devotees who came for puja noticed it, he said. Local residents along with members of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) gathered in front of the temple and held a protest and raised slogans condemning the incident. A case was registered and police took up investigation.