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Nandi idol at Shiva temple vandalised in Andhra Pradesh dist
Police are also examining the CCTV footage in the area, Garg said. “The idol has been seized and it has being sent for forensic analysis,” she said.
Hyderabad: A Nandi idol at a temple of Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh’s Prakasam district was reportedly vandalised by unknown persons in the wee hours of Monday, police said on Tuesday.
The idol at the temple in Kanaparthi village of N G Pandu block was erected in front of the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Shiva.
“It is suspected that the miscreants were thieves who were trying to steal something from the temple,” Prakasam superintendent of police (SP) Mallika Garg said.
“A special team led by the local police inspector has been formed to nab the miscreants. We have taken up the case seriously,” she added.
Police are also examining the CCTV footage in the area, Garg said. “The idol has been seized and it has being sent for forensic analysis,” she said.
The SP also ruled out speculation that some explosive material was used to destroy the idol. “There’s a blackish residue… they must have hit it with a hard object and not used explosives like being speculated,” she said.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national secretary and in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, Sunil Deodhar, who tweeted pictures believed to be of the vandalised idol, said it was a highly disturbing incident.
“When whole world was worshipping #Mahadeva on Monday morning, his beloved #Nandi vandalised ruthlessly in Kanaparthi village, Bapatla district (sic). No action by Anti-Hindu @ysjagan Govt yet,” he tweeted.
Tagging the party’s state unit president Somu Veerraju in the tweet, Deodhar demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter.
