Hyderabad: Hyderabad police foiled two attempts to vitiate peace and communal harmony by some elements over two incidents during the last three days. The partial vandalization of an idol three days ago and a piece of meat found in front of a temple on the night of October 12 had sparked mild tension and even before police could take up an investigation and identify those involved, few groups had made certain allegations.
A couple of leaders, known for their provocative utterances, had even blamed leaders of AIMIM for the first incident of vandalization of the Durga idol at Exhibition Ground in Nampally area in the heart of the city.
The idol was found partially vandalized on October 11. The incident triggered tension and some of the leaders who had visited the place tried to blame the other community. The incident a day before Dussehra had the potential to disrupt peace and communal harmony.
Unverified claims were circulated by few people on social media and some media houses also aired the views of BJP leaders like Madhavi Latha, who had unsuccessfully contested from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency against AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in the recent elections.
A post by Telangana BJP’s official handle termed it the handiwork of ‘religious fanatics’. It slammed the Congress government, saying Hindus can’t even celebrate their festivals with freedom under the Congress rule.
A few hours later, the police investigations revealed that the incident was neither communal nor pre-planned.
On the night of October 11, police revealed a breakthrough in the vase. A visually mentally disturbed man searching for food entered the pandal and ransacked puja-related material kept near the idol. Police arrested the accused identified as Krishnaiah Goud, a native of Nagarkurnool. According to police, the accused entered Exhibition Ground on October 10 and stayed there throughout the night.
When a watchman at the pandal went to the washroom around 3 a.m., the accused entered the pandal and ransacked puja-related material and in the process the idol was partially damaged. When the watchman returned, he found the place ransacked.
The watchman alerted the organisers who informed the police. A case was registered at Begumbazar police station and police officials swiftly took up the investigation.
The investigation exposed all the misinformation spread for several hours both on social media and a section of mainstream media. After the police announced the arrest of Krishnaiah Goud, all those who were making wild allegations turned silent.
On the night of October 12, a piece of meat was found in front of a temple in the Masab Tank area. The incident led to mild tension. Like in the first incident, some people tried to spread misinformation by giving it a communal colour.
Police officers rushed to the spot and took up an investigation. The police scanned the CCTV footage around the temple and found the true story behind the incident. CCTV footage released by the police shows a stray dog, carrying a piece of meat in its mouth, accidentally dropping it in front of the temple.
The police issued a statement saying no one should spread false stories about this incident. It warned legal action against anyone found to be spreading misinformation.
Police have warned legal action against anyone spreading misinformation about the incident.
