The district police have arrested a man from Siddipet in Telangana on charges of criminal conspiracy, sedition, promoting enmity among different communities, and issuing statements amounting to public mischief.
He is accused of spreading rumours against the devasthanam of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swami Temple at Kanipakam near Chittoor.
Deputy SP (Chittoor) K. Eeshwar Reddy said the accused, M. Vishnuvardhan Reddy, had used his social media platforms such as the Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp to spread rumours that the devasthanam, administered by the Endowments Department, had been converted into a COVID-19 quarantine facility to accommodate a section of the minorities. He further accused the temple authorities of hurting the sentiments of the devotees.
The objectionable posts had been made during the first phase of the lockdown after the district administration used a guest house of the devasthanam located at Kanipakam to set up a quarantine facility.
Temple clarification
Reacting to the posts, the temple authorities had issued a clarification stating that it was not the devasthanam, but only a guest house that was converted into a quarantine facility.
In spite of the clarification, the accused allegedly stepped up the vilification campaign, forcing the devasthanam Executive Officer to approach Superintendent of Police S. Senthil Kumar and lodge a complaint against the accused.
Acting upon Mr. Kumar’s instructions, the Chittoor police registered a criminal case and zeroed in on the accused.
Sent to remand
A special party arrested him in Telangana on Tuesday and brought him to Chittoor on Wednesday. After producing him in the designated court here, he was shifted to the sub-jail on remand.
“Apart from various IPC sections, we have also invoked the AP Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, against the accused,” Mr. Eeshwar Reddy said.
