Telangana BJP demands NIA probe into temple idol desecration case

Hyderabad, Oct 21 (PTI) The Telangana BJP on Monday demanded NIA probe into the temple idol damaging case here alleging that hundreds of people belonging to a particular community were imparted training at a hotel to desecrate Hindu temples across the state.
    A BJP delegation comprising MPs, MLAs and party leaders from Telangana met Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and submitted a memorandum requesting him to give instructions to the state DGP to hand over the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and to call for a detailed report over the incident of the idol desecration at Muthyalamma temple in Secunderabad on October 14.
    "In the guise of 'personality development' classes, mobilising people from across the states and conducting camps to indoctrinate them is a serious offence with categorical implication to the threat to national security. Further, it has inter-state ramifications. Therefore, it is apt to handover the investigation to the NIA, which has both the expertise and the wherewithal to unravel the conspiracy," the BJP said.
    The party also wanted the governor to give instructions to the police to arrest all the people who have taken training in the hotel and invoke the provisions of UAPA to book the organisers of the "camp".
    A case was booked against a 30-year-old engineering graduate from Maharashtra, who entered the sanctum-sanctorum of Muthyalamma temple and "desecrated" the main idol of the temple, and he was taken into custody, Hyderabad Police earlier said.
    A case was also registered against a 'motivational speaker' where the accused (who desecrated the temple idol) attended the 'personality development' classes conducted by the former at the hotel. The hotel has been sealed by revenue authorities and its trade licence has been cancelled.
    A case was also booked against the hotel management.
    A police official on Monday said they are further verifying (the allegations against the speaker) and as the investigation progresses action will be taken as per law.
    The BJP alleged that ever since the Congress formed the government in December 2023 in Telangana, communal fanatics have been feeling emboldened.
    Further, the party alleged that the desecration of the Muthyalamma temple is not an isolated incident but part of a systematic plan that has been going on unabated for several years now in Telangana. In the past several Hindu temples had been desecrated, it claimed.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)