Desecration of temples in Jharkhand village: Police file FIR, BJP slams govt

Jharkhand police Saturday registered an FIR against unidentified persons in connection with the desecration of four places of worship at Mudma village in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district.

Police said that Mudma villagers found the damaged idols on Friday morning. No arrests have been made so far, police said. After the incident, people in the village staged a protest, leading to police deployment in the area.

The FIR has been filed under 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion…), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) among other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Ranchi Rural SP Manish Toppo told The Indian Express: “Our teams are investigating the case. People in the village blocked the national highway for a few hours demanding action. After assurances from the police, they stopped the protest.”

Meanwhile, the BJP targeted the state government for its alleged “appeasement policy”. Rajya Sabha MP and state general secretary Aditya Sahu said: “Due to appeasement policies of the Hemant Soren government, Hindu temples and idols of Gods and Goddesses are being demolished in the state.” Sahu also visited Murma village and said that the state government is giving protection to unruly elements and criminals of particular communities for the sake of the vote bank.

Sahu added that the appeasement attitude of the state government was also seen during the attack on Hanuman Temple in June 2022. He demanded that the state government immediately arrest the accused.

A source in the ruling alliance said: “The police will take action as per the law and arrest the culprits. Where is the question of appeasement here?”

Source: Indianexpress.com