‘Illegal’ temple: 3 BJP activists held

The Begum Bazaar police took three BJP activists into preventive arrest briefly at a temple that has been allegedly constructed at Bhagyanagar Colony in Nampally.

Avinash Mullangi, a resident, said that BJP activists, reportedly following the orders of Goshamahal MLA Raja Singh, were trying to encroach on the community space.

“This illegal construction has been happening since 2014. Initially, two families placed cement bricks under a tree. We lodged complaints, and the work stopped for three years. In 2018, we woke up to a small marble construction with a photograph of an idol inside. During the 2018 Bonalu they started installing iron pillars,” said Mullangi,

Following a complaint, the DCP had ordered a probe and asked that the pillars be taken down. Nothing was done and one Giridhar Raju, who claims to be president of the temple, started laying tiles on the floor and strengthening the pillars,

On Friday, a group of people began praying at the temple, Mullangi said. The police was intimated, and they put Giridhar Raju, Bharat and another person under preventive custody and released them later.

Meanwhile, Raja Singh posted a video on Facebook and warned the public and police to stay away from the temple.

“Bhagyanagar colony consists of 200 flats, out of which about 10 are occupied by Muslims and Christians. The temple was installed by old residents and I have been visiting it from my days as a corporator. These families are creating problems for us,” he alleged.