Temple Story: Garbage garb for God’s abode?

Hyderabad: A suo motu case filed by the Kalapattar police in the Old City under Section 295(A) of IPC has brought to light another incident of temple negligence by the Endowments department.

According to the FIR, two persons allegedly tried to shoot a "Hanuman temple, beside Aksha Masjid, Bilalanagar." A suo motu complaint on the incident was lodged by constable A Satyarayana alleging that at 1600 hours he opened WhatsApp. It was found on a channel that two persons were recording a video of the "Hanuman temple of 15 years old."

Of the duo, one, reportedly a local journalist, accused a section of the community of throwing garbage in the temple and trying to occupy it with conspiracy.

The complainant claimed that the duo had allegedly attempted to "spoil the peaceful environment between two communities. Besides, they both uploaded the video on social media to provoke, one section of community resulting in lodging of the complaint to take action, followed by filing of FIR under Section 295(A).

Based on the complaint in Telugu by the constable, and ‘as per its contents," SI Shaik Saleem registered a case in CrNo 64/2024 U/s 295 (A) IPC. It was handed over to another SI for investigation.

The FIR clearly mentions existence of Hanuman temple, next to Aksha Masjid, under Kalapattar police limits.

The police may not be complete authority to decide the age of the temple. However, the FIR shows the temple as 15 years old. How come the local Endowments officials don’t know its existence?," asked Viswa Hindu Parishad State joint secretary Dr R Sashidar.

‘It is a classic case of laxity by the department not bothering about conducting field survey to identify temples in the Old City.

When people try to bring the sorry state of temples there the police slap cases like the present one," he rued.

He asked whether the alleged throwing of garbage in a temple attracts 'deliberate and malicious acts" as per Section 295(A), or those who brought to light the sorry state of affairs of temples because of the department’s laxity.