An FIR has been reportedly registered against pastor Mr Gandham Arun Kumar and others for conducting Christian prayers inside a Hindu temple in Warangal, Telangana, earlier this week.
Legal Rights Protection Forum, a non-profit activist group, took to Twitter to inform that the pastor and others involved in the incident have been booked after a complaint was lodged by Sub Inspector Sri D. Sambaiah. The FIR was registered against sections 295-A, 153a, 153b, 504, 505 r/w 34 of IPC.
Following a complaint lodged by the Sub Inspector Sri D. Sambaiah (P.S. Mills Colony), an FIR has been registered u/s 295-A, 153a, 153b, 504, 505 r/w 34 of IPC against the Pastor Mr. Gandham Arun Kumar and others for conducting Christian prayers in Hindu Mandir. https://t.co/Rl7mgKBAe1
— Legal Rights Protection Forum (@lawinforce) April 11, 2023
The matter pertains to Christians conducting prayers in a Hindu temple constructed by the Kakatiya dynasty in Fort Warangal, a video of which had gone viral on social media, drawing outrage from several quarters on the internet. The temple is reportedly under the control of the Archeological Department and being administered by the Telangana Endowments Department.
Members from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal launched a protest, calling for action against the organisers of the program and claiming that it was an affront to Hindu deities.
To file a complaint, they proceeded to the Mills Colony police station and met with DCP Srikanth Rao and ACP Ramala Sunitha.
Later, while addressing the media, they claimed that the local Hindu community was concerned after learning about the large-scale prayers being held directly in front of Ramalayam and Swayambu Ramalingashwara Swamy temple near Gundu Cheruvu.
Lord Rama’s “pada mudras” and “shanku chakras” can be found inside Ramalayam, and the temple’s yearly Mahashivaratri festival is a well-attended occasion.
The members of VHP and Bajrang Dal questioned how the Christian community could arrange large-scale prayers in front of the temple and serve non-vegetarian food. Such occurrences, they asserted, had the potential to cause religious unrest and disrupt the peaceful environment in the surrounding area.
They also cautioned that if authorities did not take action, VHP and other Hindu organizations would begin a protest. Speakers at the event included Sriram Uday Kumar, Bandi Rohit Yadav, S. Sairam, Aditya Sai, P. Raju, Harish, Manohar, Sandeep Reddy, and Koteshwar.
