Keonjhar/Barbil: Tension ran high after miscreants desecrated a temple of Lord Hanuman and dumped the deity’s idol outside after removing it from the shrine at Akhadashal in New Market area under Ward No-9 of Barbil in Keonjhar district, late Sunday night. The untoward incident sparked widespread unrest in the locality. The idol was allegedly removed from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum and thrown outside by unidentified miscreants. The act ignited public outrage as locals staged a road blockade at Madhusudan Square. They also shut down all business establishments, shops, markets, banks, and offices in the town. Notably, the Hanuman temple was established by the Jai Hanuman Yuvak Sangha Association in the New Market area. The desecration of the temple occurred late Sunday night. Residents discovered the desecrated idol and gathered in large numbers, expressing their anger, early Monday morning.
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On being informed, police promptly moved the damaged idol from the site as part of their investigation. Angry locals blocked major junctions, including Madhusudan Chhak, Railway Gate Chhak, Bata Chhak, Dak Bangla Chhak, Kiri Buru Chhak, OMC Chhak, and Birsa Munda Chhak, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible for the desecration of the idol. The unrest disrupted regular life in Barbil until the protests subsided after police intervention. To maintain law and order, police deployed two platoons of force for more than five and a half hours.
Acting swiftly, the police arrested one accused individual. Following prolonged road blockades, Keonjhar Superintendent of Police (SP) arrived at the scene around 1pm and informed the agitated crowd about the arrest of the accused. After requesting the protesters to withdraw their agitation, normal vehicular movement resumed. The accused, identified as Balbir Singh from the New Market area of Barbil, has been arrested. He has multiple cases, including complaints of theft from various temples, filed against him at the same police station. Barbil SDPO said that a case (383/2024) has been registered at the Barbil police station. Further investigations are underway to identify additional suspects and uncover the motives behind the desecration.
