On Friday (8th March), a disturbing incident unfolded at the revered Komuravelli Temple in Siddipet district of Telangana. As devotees gathered to observe Mahashivaratri, a sacred occasion celebrated with great fervour, the atmosphere turned tense due to mishandling by the police authorities.
According to reports, after the priests performed the traditional pujas, devotees eagerly sought the darshan of the deity. However, the situation escalated when devotees attempted to cross the barricades surrounding the temple to participate in the Yellow Bandari ritual, a customary practice at the Shiva temple.
Despite the peaceful intentions of the devotees, law enforcement officers resorted to aggressive tactics, including baton-charging the crowd just because some of them tried to cross the barricades. Shockingly, this indiscriminate use of force extended even to women devotees, sparking outrage among witnesses.
The lack of proper crowd management and empathy from the police led to chaos and unnecessary violence, tarnishing what should have been a joyous occasion of spiritual observance. Many devotees expressed anger and dismay over the excessive force employed by the authorities.
Telangana BJP’s treasurer Shanthikumar posted from his X handle, “Atrocities of Revanth Reddy’s government against Hindus! At Komuravelli Temple in Siddipet district of Telangana, police baton-charged innocent devotees. The police didn’t even spare the women devotees. This is an attack on the fundamental rights of Hindus. Why such inhuman behaviour with the Hindus in the state, Revanth Reddy?”
Popular X user Mr Sinha posted, “Hindu devotees are being beaten like this inside Komuravelli Temple in Congress-ruled Telangana. How can this be acceptable? They weren’t blocking roads, they weren’t causing inconvenience to common people, they were doing Puja inside their own temple.”
It is noteworthy to mention that callous treatment meted out to Hindu devotees in Komuravelli Temple is not the first instance where worshippers were lathi-charged. Earlier in December 2023, the Ayyappa devotees in Sabarimala were treated with similar brute force as authorities rained lathis on them.