JOIN USAndhra Pradesh town tense after temple chariot burns; BJP intensifies agitation
A tense situation is prevailing in the famous temple town of Antarvedi in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, as the BJP, JanaSena Party, the VHP and the state's Hindu organisations have intensified agitation against the gutting of the temple’s wooden chariot.
The 40-feet tall wooden chariot, made over six decades ago, is the main attraction during the annual procession of the presiding deity Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, held in February.
The Ratham (chariot) parked in an unmanned hangar near the temple went up in flames under mysterious circumstances in the wee hours of Sunday.
Though the initial blame was put on a mentally unsound person by the local police, following the growing protests, the state DGP Gautam Sawang and Endowments Minister Vellamapalli Srinivas Rao said a thorough probe is on to reveal who the culprits are.
On Wednesday, the police foiled the BJP and JanaSena attempts to rally to Antarvedi, by fortifying the town with heavy deployment of personnel and alleged house detainments of several leaders.
On Tuesday, local Hindu bodies, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists obstructed a team of YSRCP ministers — Vellampalli, Pinipe Vishwaroop and Chelluboina VK — who came to examine the gutted chariot. They raised slogans against Jaganmohan Reddy’s government.
“A comprehensive probe is on with forensic support,” said Vellampalli, while assuring that a new chariot would be built by February.
The government has suspended the temple’s executive officer Chakradhara Rao.
Chariot charred
In a similar incident, in February, the chariot of the Prasanna Venkateshwara Swamy temple was charred in Bitragunta in Nellore district.
TDP and JanaSena chiefs Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan are seeking a CBI probe pointing to a pattern in such incidents at the Hindu religious places.
“From charring of sacred chariots at Antarvedi and Bitragunta to idols being demolished at Pithapuram, from attacks on priests like Devarampadu incident to propagation of other religions under TTD management and illegal takeover of Simhachalam temple board – there seems to be a pattern,” Naidu tweeted.
From charring of sacred chariots at Antarvedi & Bitragunta to idols being demolished at Pithapuram, from attacks on priests like Devarampadu incident to propagation of other religions under TTD mgmt & illegal takeover of Simhachalam temple board – there seems to be a pattern.
— N Chandrababu Naidu #StayHomeSaveLives (@ncbn) September 9, 2020
“These incidents have repeatedly hurt the sentiments of the devotees while an egoistic YSRCP govt, driven by its lack of regard for the sanctity of temples, looked the other way. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, and demand a CBI inquiry into all these incidents,” the former CM further stated.