Initially, the attack on temples was taken as the work of some Muslims and was propagated as much by the 'godi' (servile) media channels which do not leave any opportunity to malign the Muslim community and Islam.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Four persons belonging to the Hindu community were arrested on Thursday for allegedly vandalising 17 idols of Hindu deities in four temples in Baral village of Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district on Thursday.
Initially, the attack on temples was taken as the work of some Muslims and was propagated as much by the ‘godi’ (servile) media channels which do not leave any opportunity to malign the Muslim community and Islam.
The attack stoked communal tensions in and around the affected locality.
But for the timely action by Uttar Pradesh Police, the incident and the heinous intentions of some TV anchors had the potential of large-scale violence against the Muslim community across the state
However, after the accused were arrested, the case took a new turn. As per a police statement, all the accused belong to the Hindu community and they have been identified as Harish Sharma (main accused), Shivam, Keshav and Ajay.
According to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SP) at the Gulavathi Police Station, the main accused in the crime are Harish and Innu from the Baral village itself.
On May 30, all the accused reportedly gathered at Harish’s place where they hatched a plan and desecrated the idols in an inebriated condition.
“After the incident, we formulated five police teams to track the miscreants down, since then police were collecting evidence and with the help of nearby CCTV footage we arrested four people on 8 June. However, there are reports of a few more people involved in the crime, an investigation is going on to solve the case thoroughly,” the SP said.
Immediately after reports of the vandalising of the idols spread, tension prevailed in Bulandshahr. Enraged Hindu organisations staged protests and demanded strict action against the miscreants.
On social media, a number of Hindutva sympathisers had also expressed concern and demanded severe punishment for the perpetrators. Even communal plots were linked to the mysterious attack.
The protestors calmed down after the police assured them of early action.