Explorer

Bandh In Telangana's Basar Over Atheist's Remarks Against Hindu Goddess

Condemning the remarks made by Rajesh, villagers and traders were also staging rasta roko (road blockade) on the Nizamabad-Bhainsa highway.

A shutdown was being observed on Tuesday in the Basar town of Telangana's Nirmal district over alleged derogatory remarks made by atheist Renjarla Rajesh against Hindu Goddess Maa Saraswati.

Demanding arrest of Renjerla Rajesh, a leader of Bharatha Nasthika Sangham, protesters were staging a sit-in on the road near the Gnana Saraswati Temple. Priests and temple workers also joined the protest near the main gate of the temple.

Condemning the remarks made by Rajesh, villagers and traders were also staging rasta roko (road blockade) on the Nizamabad-Bhainsa highway. The protest led to a traffic jam. Raising slogans, the protesters were demanding Rajesh's arrest.

Shops, business establishments and educational institutions were closed in response to the bandh call given by some Hindu organisations. They were demanding that the police invoke the Preventive Detention (PD) Act and arrest Rajesh.

Basar town on the banks of Godavari River is known for the Saraswati temple. It is considered as a destination for the Akshara Abhyasam ritual. Before the commencement of a child's formal education, a special prayer is performed for Goddess Saraswati. After the ritual, devotees request the priest to make their children write their first letters on a slate.

Vikarabad district police had last week arrested state president of Atheist Society Bairi Naresh and another functionary Dolu Hanumanthu for allegedly making derogatory comments against Hindu Gods, mainly Ayyappa Swamy.

Also read | Former Andhra Pradesh Minister, Bureaucrats Join BRS. KCR Appoints Chandrasekhar As State President

Naresh had made the comments at Kodangal on December 19 and a video clip of his speech had gone viral on social media three days ago.

This had sparked state-wide protests by Ayyappa devotees, who had demanded immediate arrest of Naresh and stringent action against him. They had also lodged complaints with the police against him in various places.

Later, the Karimnagar police arrested another man Bairi Agni Tej for social media posts derogatory to Ayyappa Swamy.

According to police, he had made a derogatory post on Facebook on December 30. He was arrested for hurting the religious sentiments of Ayappa devotees and for creating disharmony.

The BJP and other Hindutva organisations have been targeting the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for allowing atheists to spread the anti-Hindu sentiment among the people by encouraging atheists to hold meetings in villages under the garb of Ambedkar organisations.

The BRS, however, has dismissed the allegations and made it clear that the government will act tough against anyone hurting the religious sentiments of any section of the society.

Bharatha Nasthika Sangham leaders Bairi Naresh and Renjarla Rajesh have been facing the ire of these groups for making derogatory comments against the Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

View More
Advertisement

IPL Auction 2025

Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Virat Kohli
₹21 CR
Josh Hazlewood
₹12.50 CR
Phil Salt
₹11.50 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rishabh Pant
₹27 CR
Nicholas Pooran
₹21 CR
Ravi Bishnoi
₹11 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Jasprit Bumrah
₹18 CR
Suryakumar Yadav
₹16.35 CR
Hardik Pandya
₹16.35 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Heinrich Klaasen
₹23 CR
Pat Cummins
₹18 CR
Abhishek Sharma
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad
₹18 CR
Ravindra Jadeja
₹18 CR
Matheesha Pathirana
₹13 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Shreyas Iyer
₹26.75 CR
Arshdeep Singh
₹18 CR
Yuzvendra Chahal
₹18 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Sanju Samson
₹18 CR
Yashaswi Jaiswal
₹18 CR
Riyan Parag
₹14 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Venkatesh Iyer
₹23.75 CR
Rinku Singh
₹13 CR
Varun Chakaravarthy
₹12 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Rashid Khan
₹18 CR
Shubman Gill
₹16.50 CR
Jos Buttler
₹15.75 CR
View all
Most Expensive Players In The Squad
Axar Patel
₹16.50 CR
KL Rahul
₹14 CR
Kuldeep Yadav
₹13.25 CR
View all
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headlines

‘Tried To Be Within Maryaada, Didn’t Do Any Encroachment’: PM Modi Quips At Supreme Court Constitution Day Event
‘Tried To Be Within Maryaada, Didn’t Do Any Encroachment’: PM Modi Quips At Constitution Day Event
Shiv Sena Leaders Met Ajit Pawar's NCP Faction To Seek Support For Eknath Shinde For CM's Chair
Shiv Sena Leaders Met Ajit Pawar's NCP Faction To Seek Support For Eknath Shinde For CM's Chair
'EVMs Tampered When They Lose Not When They Win': SC On Politicians Questioning EVMs
'EVMs Tampered When They Lose Not When They Win': SC On Politicians Questioning EVMs
'No Solution To Ukraine War From Battlefield': EAM Jaishankar Reiterates India's Call For Diplomacy
'No Solution To Ukraine War From Battlefield': EAM Jaishankar Reiterates India's Call For Diplomacy
Advertisement
ABP Premium

Videos

FIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman, Statement Released Amidst ControversyFIR Filed Against Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman and Local MLA's Son in Controversial CaseSambhal Violence Sparks Political Firestorm, Congress MP Imran Masood's Strong Remarks | ABP NewsBreaking News: SP Leader Ram Gopal Yadav Reacts to Sambhal Violence | ABP News

Photo Gallery

Embed widget