‘Drunk’ man vandalises idols at Dehradun temple, locals want culprit arrested

A ‘drunk man’ allegedly vandalised two idols at a temple in Raipur area of Dehradun on Saturday, prompting heated demands from locals to arrest the culprit.

As the news spread in the state capital, a number of locals led by right wing activists rushed to the spot demanding immediate police action against the culprit. Police force was rushed to the area.

Cops later said the incident appeared to have been committed by an unknown person under the influence of liquor.

According to police, a person who was present on the temple premises on the intervening night of January 26-27 saw a “drunk man” making his way into the temple.

“As per the eyewitness, the man began shouting in front of the idols, blaming the gods for not helping him and his family despite religiously praying to them. He then hurled stones at the idols and ran away when an alarm was raised (by the eyewitness),” circle officer (Dalanwala) Jaya Baluni said.

Agitated locals, however, were not satisfied. “We want a detailed investigation into the matter so that it can be established that no anti-social elements were involved (in the act). Even if it was an act of a drunkard, the police should arrest the culprit soon,” Vineet Dobhal, a local leader from Raipur, said.

No formal complaint had been filed with the police by the time of filing this report.

Police, however, were carrying out investigation. “No complaint has been lodged so far officially but we are trying to get footage from CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras installed in nearby areas to trace the person,” Baluni said.