Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy Monday urged the people not to take law into their own hands as he directed the police to take stern action against individuals involved in activities that might lead to disruption of peace and harmony and incite communal tension in the state.
The Chief Minister described the recent vandalism in Muthyalamma Temple at Secunderabad as alarming but said people should repose faith in police to take action against the culprits. Reddy also announced the setting up of Young India Police school, modelled on the National Defence Academy for the children of uniformed forces in the state while participating in the Police Flag Day Parade held at Goshamahal.
Iterating that a state must maintain law and order in order to progress and attract investment, Reddy appealed to the people to exercise restraint and cooperate with the government. He said, “Some individuals driven by emotions and unrest, are creating disturbances by attacking a temple. Telangana residents are urged to stay vigilant against such incidents. The incident at the Muthyalamma temple has caused concern. Police promptly arrested those responsible, sending out the message that no one will be spared. Some people are attempting to take the law into their own hands and punish the criminals. The police are fully prepared to deal with perpetrators and punish offenders. There should be no doubt about this.”
The offender who committed the act of desecration at Muthyalamma Temple was handed over to the police by the local public. But on Saturday, several right-wing organisations tried to foment trouble and attacked the police with slippers before the latter resorted to a lathi charge. Around 15 police personnel were injured during the protests.
After the BJP leaders criticised the lathi charge the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad released several videos showing the provocation from the crowd which threw footwear at the police. The BRS has also criticised the Chief Minister who also handles the Home department for failing to maintain law and order. In the last couple of weeks several similar incidents of vandalism in temples have happened in Telangana.
Reddy directed the police to take a tough stand against those taking law into their own hands. He warned “If anyone tries to take law into his own hands or tries to punish those who did wrong, there will not be much difference between those who committed the crime and those seeking to take law in their own hands.”
He also warned about the worsening traffic situation in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister advised police chiefs to use artificial intelligence in traffic management and resolve the problem.