16 member SIT to probe desecration of temples in AP

Amaravati, Jan 8 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh government onFriday constituted a 16-member Special Investigation Team toprobe the instances of desecration of temples in the statesince 2020.

Director General of Police D G Sawang said the SIT willbe headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police-rank officer GV G Ashok Kumar and investigate temple-related incidentswherein idols have also been desecrated.

The incidents have caused disturbance to communal harmonyin the state, the DGP said.

Sawang, in an official memorandum, directed the CrimeInvestigation Department and Intelligence wing to extend fullcooperation to the SIT in the course of the investigation.

The SIT would periodically update the DGP and theAdditional DGP (Law and Order) on the progress of the probe,the memorandum added.

Several incidents of vandalism, including beheading ofLord Ramas head from an idol in the historic Ramateerthamtemple in Vizianagaram district, had been reported in recentdays, leading to an uproar among the faithful.

The police said they were still in the process ofinvestigating the cases and gathering evidence, even as ChiefMinister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy termed the desecrationincidents ''political guerrilla warfare''.