AP CM Jaganmohan Reddy seeks CBI probe in the Antarvedi temple chariot incident

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy has sought for a CBI probe into the Antarvedi temple chariot fire incident that has kept the town tense and the state simmering for the past few days.

The BJP, Jana Sena parties, and the VHP etc., Hindu organisations are agitated over the gutting of the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple’s wooden chariot in East Godavari district. They blamed the YSRCP government’s disdain towards Hindu temples as causing such incidents.

The ratham (chariot) parked in an unmanned hangar near the temple went up in flames under mysterious circumstances in the wee hours of Sunday. The 40 feet wooden chariot, made about six decades back, is the main attraction during the annual procession of the presiding deity Lord Lakshmi Narasimha, held in February.

The initial blame was put on a mentally unsound person by the local police. However, following the growing protests and an ultimatum from the Hindu bodies, the government said that a thorough probe is on to reveal and punish the culprits.

On Thursday evening, a tweet from the CMO stated that Reddy has decided to seek a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the incident. “The DGP office wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs requesting a CBI inquiry,” it said.

A government order handing over the case being dealt with by the AP police to the CBI would be issued on Friday.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had, on Wednesday, accused the Reddy government as displaying a disregard towards the Hindu temples. The former CM has demanded CBI enquiry into a pattern of incidents at temples in the state over the past few months.

In a similar incident, in February, the chariot of the Prasanna Venkateshwara Swamy temple was charred in Bitragunta in Nellore district.

In January, several idols of Hindu gods and goddesses were damaged in Pithapuram town of East Godavari district where Antarvedi is located.