JOIN USYet another Hindu temple idol desecrated in Andhra Pradesh
Barely three days following the appalling destruction of an ancient Lord Rama idol in Ramateertham, unknown miscreants have damaged an idol of Lord Subrahmanya in a templein Rajahmundry.
On Friday morning, priests of Vigneshwara temple in Sriramnagar in Rajahmundry found the two arms of Lord Subrahmanya's rock figurine severed.
Rajahmundry is in the same East Godavari district as Antarvedi where the decades old wooden chariot of Lord Lakshminarasimha Swamy was gutted under mysterious circumstances in September.
Earlier this week, doors of the ancient Sita Lakshmana sametha Kodandarama temple on the Bodhikonda hillock in Ramatheertham of Vizianagaram district were found broke open and the Rama idol in the sanctum sanctorum sans the head. The severed portion was retrieved from the nearby temple pond on Wednesday.
The unabated acts of vandalism, desecration at various temples across Andhra Pradesh since January last year, has left the Hindu devotees and organisations distraught.
Shockingly, the Subrahmanya idol was vandalised even after Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy, according to a CMO statement on Thursday, warned of stringent action against the temple miscreants.
However, opposition parties are accusing the Reddy government of a disregard towards Hindu traditions and institutions which they say is encouraging such malicious acts.
“Attacks on temples has become a daily occurrence, because of the government's indifference. Neither the public nor the gods inside the temple are safe in the state. Matters would not have come this far if stern action was taken in the first such case. The government has the responsibility to safeguard the sentiments of all communities,” former CM Chandrababu Naidu remarked while condemning the Rajahmundry incident on Friday.
TDP sources said that Naidu would be visiting Ramatheertham on Saturday.
Naidu rued that the offenders in Antarvedi and theft of silver lion figurines of Vijayawada Kanakadurga chariot cases are still unknown. Following the religious sensitivity and protests led by BJP, Hindu organisations, the Reddy government referred the Antarvedi case to the CBI.
The AP police are yet to make any arrests in the Ramatheertham case too even after the CM directed the police to ensure swift, strict action, to prevent recurrence of such incidents at temples.
“Desecration of idols is atrocious and will not be tolerated. God will surely punish those who show such irreverence towards temples and idols.” Reddy said on Thursday, according to CMO officials.
AP BJP chief Somu Veerraju warned that his party would intensify its agitation if the YSRCP government fails further in arresting the culprits and ending the temple vandalism.
Meanwhile, Rajahmundry police have formed two special teams to nab the offenders. “Regrettably, there is no CCTV coverage inside the temple. The neighborhood cameras caught some people on motorbikes at odd hours. It seems to be the deed of some drunken, reprobate youth of the area at 2-4 AM,” III Town CI Durga Prasad told DH.