CID to investigate Ramatheertham temple desecration

Vijayawada: Endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas on Monday announced that state government had ordered CID probe on vandalism of the idol of Lord Rama at Ramatheertham temple in Vizianagaram district recently. The minister conducted a review with the officials of the police and endowments department at the office of the commissioner of endowments on Monday on the situation arising out of Ramatheertham incident.

The officials informed the minister the measures taken by the endowments and police departments to provide protection to the temples and the places of worship.

Briefing the media later, Srinivas said the idol of Rama would be reinstalled as per the Agama Sastra at the same temple and the temple would be renovated. Stating that the state government had taken the incident seriously.

He said the persons responsible for the incident were identified and would be arrested in three days. Referring to the incidents related to the attacks on the Hindu temple in the state, the minister said 88 cases were booked and 169 persons were arrested in connection with the cases.

Srinivas alleged that some organisations were not installing the CC cameras in temples and violating the rules suggested by the government.

The endowments department principal secretary Girija Sankar, special commissioner P Arjuna Rao, additional DGP (law and order) Ravi Sankar Ayyannar and other officials attended the review meeting.