In a shocking development, the Hyderabad Police have registered a Suo Moto FIR against a Telugu Journalist, Sridharan Siddhu, for bringing the plight of a Hanuman Mandir. Siddhu who is active on social media under the name Journalist Siddhu revealed that a case has been registered against him for exposing the plight of a 70-year-old Hanuman Mandir which is located at Kala Patthar in the old Hyderabad city.
Siddhu stated that due to the continuous migration of Hindus, the temple was lying deserted and the Muslim population in the vicinity had increased.
While speaking to OpIndia, Siddhu revealed that there is an idol of Hanuman Ji present there, along with a conch and Chakra. The idol has been carved on stone. According to Siddhu, after Hindus migrated from the area, several mosques were built in the surrounding vicinity. As a result, the temple was left deserted, with no one worshipping in the Hanuman Mandir.
He further explained that the local residents turned the temple into a dumpyard. Over time, the Hanuman Ji idol was buried under over four feet of garbage that accumulated on top of it. A video of the temple shows how it is buried under a large quantity of garbage.
However, Hindu activists recently came together to take up the task of cleaning the temple. A prominent organisation named Gudi-Badi took charge of its cleanliness. It is worth mentioning that in Telugu, ‘Gudi’ means temple and ‘Badi’ refers to a school. Siddhu mentioned that after the cleaning, the local residents started dumping their litter again. On the occasion of Ram Navami on Wednesday (April 17, 2024), journalist Siddhu and his team reached there and once again cleared the garbage. Their cameraman also recorded a video.
Earlier, Siddhu was associated with the channel ‘Maha News’ for a long time, but now he is active on social media under his own name. According to Siddhu, people wanted an initiative for the restoration of this temple, which he expressed in his videos. However, he later received a phone call from Kala Patthar police station summoning him as an FIR had been filed against him.
Taking to X, an advocate named Sagar has claimed to have filed a petition in the Telangana High Court to quash the FIR against journalist Siddhu. He also claimed that he was the one who informed Siddhu about the registration of an FIR against him.
It is pertinent to note that Siddhu has also actively worked to uncover the truth during the riots in Bhainsa, Telangana.
Siddhu added that AIMIM has an ‘influence’ in the Kala Patthar area, and the police officers may also listen to them, but for now, there is no involvement of Asaduddin Owaisi’s party in this matter. Meanwhile, journalist Siddhu has spoken to Madhavi Lata, BJP candidate from Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency. Madhavi Latha has assured him that she would be present whenever necessary and she stands with him in this case. BJP MLA from Goshmahal T Raja Singh has also assured his support.
Journalist Siddhu mentioned that he had taken a byte from a local boy named Ramesh who has also been booked. Ramesh was the one who informed Siddhu about the dilapidated condition of the Hanuman Mandir. This is also the reason why those involved in cleaning the temple are not willing to talk to the media, because there is an atmosphere of fear.
Currently, there is a Congress government in Telangana with Revanth Reddy as the Chief Minister. However, AIMIM has been running a parallel administration in Hyderabad.
OpIndia has accessed the FIR copy registered in this matter. It was filed based on the complaint of Section Incharge (SI) A Satyanarayana. The FIR states that Siddhu and Ramesh were filming around a Hanuman Mandir which is located near Aqsa Masjid in Bilal Nagar. The FIR states that in this Telugu video, the Muslim community has been accused of deliberately throwing garbage in the temple and hatching a conspiracy to illegally take possession of the land. According to the FIR, this video was made to disrupt Hindu-Muslim harmony and incite communal tension.
The officer in charge of the aforementioned police station is SI Sheikh Salim. This FIR was filed one day after Ram Navami. When OpIndia spoke to Satyanarayana about this matter, he refused to say anything. He mentioned that he is currently not on duty and advised to talk to the inspector. He couldn’t provide a response to whether it is a crime to show the plight of a temple?
In the Lok Sabha elections in Hyderabad, the BJP is raising issues concerning Hindus aggressively. When we spoke to SI Salim Sheikh, he said that his seniors are looking into this matter and only they will be able to provide some information.
It should be noted that even the previous KCR government had harassed journalist Siddhu. Notably, an FIR was filed against him for revealing the truth of the riots that took place in Bhainsa, Adilabad. In January 2020, he spoke to the riot victims in a 27-minute video report. Siddhu had appealed to the government for assistance to the victims. Back then, a case was filed against him based on a complaint by ASI S Sudarshan. After that, he had to leave Telangana.
While, the government has changed in the state and Congress has topped the BRS government but the situation remains the same.