Gate's lock broken, idols found damaged inside Ranchi temple, angry locals demand action

RANCHI: According to local police officials quoted in a PTI report, several idols of deities were allegedly damaged by as-yet-unknown individuals in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi. The incident took place in Ranchi's Bariatu area on Sunday night and swiftly led to a protest by locals who blocked a stretch of the Bariatu road. The protest was only cleared up when authorities promised to take swift action against the perpetrators while also vowing to reinstall the idols that have been damaged. “Actually, I have some sentiment with the temple where my father visited in his last days. Reinstalling the idols there is my own call,” Ranchi SP Raj Kumar Mehta told PTI. 

Furthermore, he said that five teams have been formed for the purpose of the investigation and CCTV footage is also being examined. 

According to the temple's priest, Ram Narayan Pandey, when he reached the site around 5 am, he found that the temple's gate lock had been broken. Inside, he reportedly found all the idols vandalised with a silver crown and some other items missing. The priest then proceeded to lodge an FIR with the Bariatu police station.

As investigations continue, several political leaders including Sanjay Seth, a Member of Parliament from Ranchi, rushed to the temple and called on the police to take action against the responsible parties within 24 hours.