On Tuesday, the Basar town of Telangana’s Nirmal district observed a shutdown due to alleged derogatory remarks made by atheist Renjarla Rajesh about Hindu Goddess Maa Saraswati.
Protesters staged a sit-in on the road near the Gnana Saraswati Temple, demanding the arrest of Renjerla Rajesh, a leader of Bharatha Nasthika Sangham. Priests and temple workers also joined the protest near the temple’s main gate.
In response to Rajesh’s remarks, villagers and traders staged a rasta roko (road blockade) on the Nizamabad-Bhainsa highway. The demonstration caused a traffic jam. Raising slogans, the protesters were demanding Rajesh’s arrest.
In response to the bandh call issued by some Hindu organizations, shops, businesses, and educational institutions were closed. They wanted the police to use the Preventive Detention (PD) Act to arrest Rajesh.
Basar town on the banks of Godavari River is famous for the Saraswati temple. It is considered as a destination for the Akshara Abhyasam ritual. A special prayer is offered to Goddess Saraswati before the start of a child’s formal education. Following the ritual, devotees ask the priest to make their children write their first letters on a slate.
Last week, the Vikarabad district police arrested Bairi Naresh, the state president of the Atheist Society, and another functionary, Dolu Hanumanthu, for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Hindu Gods, particularly Ayyappa Swamy.
ALSO READ: Telangana HC verdict shows TRS politically misused Dalit Bandhu: Congress
Anjani Kumar takes over as new DGP of Telangana
Naresh made the remarks at Kodangal on December 19, and a video clip of his speech went viral three days ago on social media.
This sparked statewide protests by Ayyappa devotees, who demanded Naresh’s immediate arrest and harsh punishment. They had also filed police complaints against him in various locations.
Later, the Karimnagar police arrested another man, Bairi Agni Tej, for making derogatory comments about Ayyappa Swamy on social media.
According to police, he made a derogatory Facebook post on December 30. He was arrested for causing disharmony and offending the religious sentiments of Ayappa devotees.
The BJP and other Hindutva organizations have targeted the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for allowing atheists to spread anti-Hindu sentiment among the people by encouraging atheists to hold meetings in villages under the garb of Ambedkar organizations. The BRS, on the other hand, has dismissed the allegations and made it clear that the government will take firm action against anyone who offends the religious sentiments of any segment of society.
Bharatha Nasthika Sangham leaders Bairi Naresh and Renjarla Rajesh have come under fire from these groups for making derogatory remarks about Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
(This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed, agencies. Raavi Media accepts no responsibility or liability for the text’s dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and data. Raavi Media management/ythisnews.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content at its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.)
