Jammu: Man Vandalises Temple After Being 'Annoyed' By 'Black Magic' Practices, Arrested

The man was held responsible for the vandalism and arson at the temple and was arrested within hours of the incident.

A local resident was arrested for vandalising temple in Jammu.

Source : ABPLIVE_AI

Jammu: In the second incident of vandalism at a place of worship reported in the Jammu region in a week, a temple was vandalised on the outskirts of Jammu, police said on Sunday. The perpetrator claimed that he carried out the act on Saturday night as he was annoyed by black magic being practiced by a few members of the community at the temple.

The man was held responsible for the vandalism and arson at the temple and was arrested within hours of the incident, news agency PTI reported.

Arjun Sharma, a local resident, confessed to his involvement in vandalising the place of worship when he was presented before the magistrate. This solved the case within a few hours of the incident, Jammu (rural) Superintendent of Police Brijesh Sharma said.

Following his arrest, the SP stated that the timely apprehension of the culprit averted a potential escalation of the issue.

The first incident of vandalisation occurred on June 30 in a village in the UT's Reasi district on June 30.  Around 43 suspected persons were detained by police for questioning.

SP Sharma told PTI that a complaint was received regarding the desecration of some idols and mats set ablaze in Narain Khoo area by unidentified persons on Saturday night. Follwing this, an FIR was filed under relevant sections of law at Nagrota Police Station.

"A police party along with a team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Crime branch with sniffer dogs rushed to the scene and rounded up four suspected persons on the basis of investigation and CCTV footage of the area," the officer said. 

Timely Arrest Of Culprit Averted Flare-Up In Situation

"The timely arrest of the culprit averted a certain flare up in the situation. We are thankful to the people for their positive role and maintaining calm to allow police to conduct its investigation," the SP stated, adding that the accused worked alone in the incident.

As per the PTI report, the accused claimed that he was annoyed with "black magic" being practised at the temple and also had personal enmity with the village 'numbardar' and a few others, the SP said.

"The investigation of the case is still at its initial stage and further details will emerge with the completion of the probe," the SP said.

The police officer has also requested people to avoid reaching conclusions on social media in such "sensitive matters" without knowing the version of the police.

Former MLA of Nagrota constituency and senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana lauded the police and the civil administration for reacting promptly to arrest the culprit and taking a serious note of the incident.