Synopsis
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of an anti-Hindu attitude after police lathicharged peaceful protesters against idol desecration in Secunderabad. Those arrested allegedly desecrated a temple idol, triggering protests by Hindu groups. Police claim protesters turned aggressive and had to be controlled.
PTICondemning the lathicharge by police on members of Hindu organisations protesting against the desecration of a temple idol here, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Sunday accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of an “anti-Hindu attitude“. Addressing a press conference, he said some youth were holding a protest peacefully on Saturday against the idol desecration at Muthyalamma temple in Secunderabad. The police “brutally” beat them up, which was not seen in Hyderabad in recent times, he alleged.
Even during the Telangana statehood movement, the police did not behave in that way, Kishan Reddy, who is also Telangana BJP president, said.
“Why did the chief minister order lathicharge against them yesterday? This is totally anti-Hindu way. This is nothing but pacifying the other sections. Several people were injured. Are they terrorists?,” Kishan Reddy asked.
He claimed several cases were foisted against people during Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri.
Salman Salim Thakur alias Salman, an engineering graduate from Maharashtra on October 14, allegedly entered the sanctum-sanctorum of Muthyalamma temple and desecrated the main idol of the temple, triggering protests by locals, Hindu organisations and the BJP. The accused was later taken into custody.
Police had also registered a case against a ‘motivational speaker’ where the accused attended the ‘personality development’ classes conducted by the former at a hotel here.
The city police on Saturday resorted to lathicharge to disperse activists of VHP, Bajrang Dal and other Hindu organisations who were protesting against the desecration of the idol.
Kishan Reddy said in the name of motivational (personality development) classes, several people from other states are getting trained and harassing people of other religion. “I am asking why the chief minister did not condemn when one of them (the accused person who attended the classes) attacked the Hindu temple… I am asking why the Congress party did not condemn it?”
He accused the Congress party of always observing “dual standards” and showing “bias” against Hindus.
“Rahul Gandhi feels bad when Maa Durga is worshiped. Rahul Gandhi feels bad when Ram temple was built in Ayodhya,” the union minister said.
Meanwhile, police said the Hindu orgainsations had given a ‘bandh’ call on Saturday and proposed to organise a supposedly peaceful protest rally for which no official permission was taken.
According to the police, the crowd turned aggressive and the unruly mob started calling for demolition of a mosque in the area and when the police resisted their attempts to move towards the place of worship, the mob started pelting stones, sticks, water bottles, footwear and chairs on the police force. The protesters also damaged two RTC buses, they said.
Several protesters besides 15 police personnel were injured in the scuffle. To take the situation under control in the public interest, the police resorted to lathicharge, a release from Hyderabad Police said.
