A Ganesh statue estimated to be centuries-old was destroyed by unidentified persons in Andhra Pradeh’s Guntur district. The incident came to light on Monday, April 3, after local residents informed the police. It took place at a Ganesh temple located atop the Vinayaka Konda hill in the Phirangipuram police station limits in Guntur Rural district.
Videos of the vandalised Ganesh idol that are being circulated on social media show the granite idol broken into pieces from the lower half. The police say that the idol could have been broken by someone looking for treasure. They have ruled out a communal angle in the case.
Speaking to TNM, Guntur Superintendent of Police Arif Hafeez said, “The incident was brought to light on Monday morning by a few local residents. A case has been registered in this regard and investigation is on. Preliminary investigation shows that it was a few miscreants in the area who did this. There's no communal angle involved in this matter. We will nab the culprits soon.”
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders took to social media to escalate the matter and questioned the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) for not taking action. BJP state general secretary Vishnu Vardhan Reddy stated, “Vinayak ji’s idol was destroyed in the ancient Ganapati temple in Phirangipuram, Guntur. In the past too, several incidents of this sort have happened, but no action was taken by the YSRCP government. It has now been repeated. I demand strict action against the culprits.”