BJP, Hindu groups observe bandh in Karnataka's Belur over Ganapathy idol desecration

Police, acting on CCTV footage, detained a woman from Hassan city. The visuals reportedly showed her entering the temple wearing slippers and leaving without them.

Belur: The BJP and Hindu outfits on Monday, September 22, called for a bandh in Belur town of Karnataka's Hassan district, after the desecration of a Ganapathy idol at a temple located within the Town Municipal Office premises.

Shops and business establishments remained closed till afternoon in support of the bandh, before reopening after 1 pm. Supporters also took out a rally from the Chennakeshava temple.

Tension gripped the town earlier in the day when devotees found a pair of slippers placed on the Ganapathy idol. Based on CCTV footage, police detained a woman from Hassan city, who is said to be mentally unstable. She was seen entering the temple wearing slippers and leaving without them, and the footwear found on the idol matched hers, officials said.

Later, priests conducted purification rituals at the temple by sprinkling sacred water brought from the Chennakeshava temple pond. Several homas and other ceremonies were also performed.