Remarks on deities: Telangana BJP chief says KCR encouraging blasphemy

Devotees and Hindu groups held protests across Telangana demanding the arrest of one Bairi Naresh who passed vulgar comments on the origin of lord Ayyappa and Hindu deities lord Shiva and lord Vishnu.

Enraged Ayyappa devotees and Hindu activists lodged complaints at various police stations.

Bairi, sources said, claims to be the state president of a lesser known atheist forum and a “scientific student federation”. He made the objectionable remarks at a meeting of Ambedkarites recently, a video of which came into social media circulation on Thursday.

A case was registered against Bairi at the Kodangal police station in Vikarabad district under the IPC sections 153-A, 295-A, 298, 505(2) dealing with acts of promoting enmity between different groups, deliberately, maliciously outraging religious feelings, etc.

Demanding strong action against the offender for hurting Hindu sentiments, Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay said, “Anybody can abuse Hindu Gods in Telangana and be exonerated as Telangana CM encourages blasphemy without taking any action.”

“K Chandrashekar Rao claims to be a ‘True Hindu’ and that his ‘Hinduvta is real’ but so far what action is taken on insults against Gods Vishnu, Shiva and Ayyappa made in Kodangal,” Bandi tweeted on Friday.

Bandi pointed out that BRS government had in August provided security to controversial comic Munawar Faruqui “who insulted goddess Seethamma”.

The BJP MP said that permissions are given to others to hold meetings and “make derogatory remarks on Lord Ayyappa Swamy’s birth”.

Karuna Sagar K, a Telangana High Court advocate, told DH that fringe elements are targeting Hinduism in the garb of Ambedkarism and atheism.

“Did Babasaheb Ambedkar ever declare he was an atheist? He had only left Hinduism and adopted Buddhism,” Sagar said.

An estimated over 200 complaints were lodged at various police stations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh against Bairi, Sagar said.

Suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh, who was arrested by the Telangana police for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Prophet Mohammed, also questioned the Telangana DGP and Telangana CM Rao's inaction on the matter till now. Singh had stated his remarks as in response to Munawar's show in Hyderabad.