Attacks on Hindu temples: VHP demands strict action

Hyderabad: Raising the issue of the recent increase in attacks on temples in the city of Hyderabad, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday demanded the city police take necessary legal steps to protect the peace and security of the city and crush the fanatical forces with an iron foot of law.

A delegation of the VHP leaders met City Commissioner of Police on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum complaining against the recent attacks on the temples. VHP National Secretary Ravinuthala Shashidhar said it was deeply distressing and upsetting to the Hindu community.

From the destruction of the idols at the Bhulakshmi Ammavari temple in Rakshapuram in the Old City of Hyderabad to the destruction of the idols at the Mutyalamma temple in Secunderabad (Bhulakshmi temple, Uppuguda temple, Mailardevapalli temple, Exhibition Ground Matha Pandal, Lower Tank Bund Temple, Mutyalamma Temple, Amberpet Matha temple), it was clear that these temples were attacked by fanatical forces in a planned and deliberate manner. Terrorist roots are also suspected behind these attacks, the VHP leader said.

The VHP leaders said that it was unfortunate that in every case of attacks on temples, an attempt was made to portray the attacks as attacks by madmen; if it is the work of madmen, legal action needs to be taken against the roots of the fanatical madness wherever it grows. Locals in several areas were reporting the presence of outsiders in madarsas and mosques in and around Bhagyanagar. The VHP demands immediate full investigation, arrest of suspected persons, and installation of CC cameras in all mosques, madarsas, and other sensitive locations in the city and surrounding areas and linked to local police stations. Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi Muslims who entered Hyderabad city illegally should be immediately arrested and legal action taken, the VHP leaders said.

The VHP leaders further said that a series of attacks on temples and Hindu society in Hyderabad raises suspicions that there were sinister conspiracies behind it. The general public is suspecting that Hyderabad-based extremist parties are conspiring to create communal tensions during the upcoming Maharashtra state election and the Waqf Board Amendment Bill as well, which should also be investigated.