-PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL
OUTRAGE: VHP and Bajrang Dal activists demonstrate against demolition of the temple wall at Koti on Friday.
The Hindu, Dec 13, 2008
Temple wall demolition sparks violence
Staff Reporter
One person stabbed; vehicles damaged; two GHMC officials suspended
HYDERABAD: The demolition of a temple compound wall by civic officials at Koti triggered violence in the State capital on Friday with angry youths clashing with policemen and damaging RTC buses forcing the governemnt to order suspension of two GHMC officials. The day-long protests led to massive traffic jams all over eastern part of the city.
Tension escalated in the surrounding areas, as mobs fought with the police and torched a jeep and four RTC buses. As the protests spread to other areas, a youngster of Secunderabad was attacked with a knife by miscreants, about 200 yards from the demoliton site. He was shifted to Osmania Hospital and his condition is stated to be stable.
What started as a protest by various right-wing organisations over the demolition, soon transformed into a prolonged pitched battle between police and youngsters. As police resorted to lathicharge, mobs resorted to counter-attacks. Police constable Jaffar, who reportedly caned protestors on ‘Ayyappa diksha’, was singled out for attacks.
Sultanbazar Inspector S. Srinivasacharyulu said GHMC workers demolished the wall in the early hours of Friday. He said the GHMC officials intimated the police about footpath encroachment removal earlier in the day but never about the wall demolition.
Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajarang Dal, Hindu Vahini, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Bharatiya Janata Party assembled at the site in thousands from morning demanding reconstruction of the temple. They gheraoed Backward Classes Welfare Minister Mukesh Goud and GHMC Special Commissioner Praveen Prakash when they came there and tried to attack the latter on his remarks that his subordinates did not commit any mistake as they acted as per government orders.
GHMC Commissioner S.P. Singh, however, later conceded that demolition of the wall was a mistake and ordered suspension of Deputy Commissioner K. Deshpande and Assistant City Planner K. Madhusudan.
The entire city police top brass was present at Koti monitoring the developments and brought the situation under control by dispersing the agitators using mild force towards evening and arresting the others.
