BJP Rajya Sabha member G.V.L. Narasimha Rao has requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to seek a detailed action taken report from the Andhra Pradesh government on the recent attacks on temples in the State.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour on Wednesday, Mr. Rao said the State saw more than 140 instances of attacks on Hindu temples involving demolition and desecration of idols and crimes of other nature in the last 19 months, but the State government had not shown any seriousness in arresting the culprits.
The latest incident of ‘severing’ of the 400-year-old idol of Lord Sri Ram at the Ramateertham temple in Vizianagaram district had deeply hurt the sentiments of Hindus all over the State and beyond, Mr. Rao said. “The attacks have intensified in the last six months as the criminals have become emboldened by the lack of prompt action against those responsible for the previous incidents,” he said.
Major incidents such as torching of ancient chariots at the Bitragunta and Antarvedi temples and disfigurement of silver lions at the Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada had not been probed in a timely manner, he alleged.
Mr. Rao said it was only after a massive outrage that the State government started making “half-hearted attempts” to investigate the cases by setting up a Special Investigation Team. Instead of apprehending the real culprits, the police had been arresting political workers for making comments in the social media posts criticising such incidents, he stated.
