Andhra Pradesh: BJP demands judicial inquiry in Antarvedi incident; slams YSRCP's inaction

On Wednesday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleged that the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government in Andhra Pradesh is indulged in "minority vote bank politics" and "committing crimes against Hindus." This remark comes after the wooden chariot of the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh was gutted in a fire mishap last week. 

A protest was also staged in Delhi by senior BJP leaders such as GVL Narsimha Rao and party's national secretaries Sunil Deodhar and Y Satya Kumar. Deodhar warned the state government and further alleged that the Andhra Chief Minister has not taken any action against perpetrators of crime against Hindu deities.

"Don't test the patience of Hindus in Andhra Pradesh. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple is an old temple and its 62 years old chariot was burnt to ashes. There is a conspiracy behind a series of events. In Guntur, an idol was destroyed and many other statues and temples were destroyed in various parts of the state. No inquiry was done," said Deodhar.

GVL Narsimha Rao also levelled similar claims and said that the YSRCP government has been negligent in acting against such acts of crime. He further demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident

"YSRCP government has been negligent in acting against such acts of crime. A 62-year-old chariot of a centuries-old temple was gutted to ashes. Such incidents have happened. Police arrested people who went to protests against the burning of the chariot. We are sitting in protest against the illegal arrest of devotees. We demand a judicial inquiry into the incident at Antarvedi," Rao said.

There was a similar incident in SPS Nellore district a few months ago, where it turned out that a mentally ill person set a temple chariot on fire. 

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Wooden chariot of a famous temple gutted in fire

The wooden chariot of the famous Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh was gutted in a fire mishap last week. The state government ordered an inquiry into the incident to establish the cause of the fire and has appointed Endowments Additional Commissioner Ramachandra Mohan as the inquiry officer. He has been asked to coordinate with the police and determine the cause of the fire, Endowments Minister Velampalli Srinivas said.

The 40-feet high chariot made of teak wood was parked in a shed on the temple premises. The chariot is normally used only during the 'Radhotsavam' at the Lords celestial wedding festivities. Police said they were investigating whether an electrical short circuit caused the mishap or if any arson was involved.

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(With Inputs from Agencies)