A puja pandal was ransacked and the idol was vandalised in the Nampally area here during the ongoing Navratri festivities leading to tension in the neighbourhood.
While the police are examining CCTV footage to identify the culprits, BJP leaders condemned the incident and warned of protests unless action was taken against those responsible for the vandalism.
The organisers of the puja have filed a complaint with the Begum Bazar police station in the matter.
According to the police, the miscreants damage the idol in the pandal at the Exhibition Ground in a bid to tamper with the donation box. Consequently, the hand of the idol fell off and the saree on the idol slipped. The havan (fire altar) area was ransacked by the intruders.
The incident happened when the lone security guard at the pandal had gone to answer nature’s call at around 3:30 am. The organisers alleged that the power supply was disrupted during the vandalism and CCTV cameras were damaged. A video clip of the ransacked pandal and damaged idol that went viral set tempers soaring. People staged a protest on the Nampally road against the vandalism.
Telangana BJP spokesperson NV Subhas called the incident “outrageous” and wondered, “Is this what happens in a Congress-ruled state? No Hindu festival is safe from such elements. Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ clearly has selective service.”
Former BJP MLC N Ramchander Rao said, “Congress and AIMIM’s silence speak volumes.”
BJP leader Madhavi Latha threatened to launch a protest in front of the police station tomorrow if the miscreants were not arrested.
Right-wing leaders complained that incidents of vandalism were taking place repeatedly and when the perpetrators were caught, they were let off labelling them as “mentally unstable”.
Last year, two women damaged the idol at Chintal Basti and a month ago another similar incident had taken place in the Old City area.