In a disturbing case of desecration of Hindu deities from Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, the village toilets have been adorned with tiles with images of Shivalinga, the symbol of Om, and a Kalash used for puja on Hindu occasions. The case was reported on Wednesday, June 8, 2022. Following the complaint, police have booked the accused under Section 295-A of the IPC.

The act of putting sacred images of Hindu deities and symbols on toilets led to immense outrage when the Hindu organization Bajrang Dal learned about this. Shortly numerous activists of the Hindu association rushed to the venue and protested the sacrilege of the Hindu symbols. But this audacity was not limited to just one toilet in the village. The Bajrang Dal activists started to open every toilet in the village and were shocked to see that most of the toilets were covered with tiles showcasing pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses.

Later BJP activist Dhirendra Mishra posted a photo of the toilet on social media, which went viral on various social media platforms. The BJP worker also tagged the District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police of Sitapur, including the DGP, on Twitter and demanded stringent action against the village head and secretary who had purposely placed titles of Hindu deities on the toilets to hurt Hindu sentiments.

Outrage over the whole sequence of events escalated quickly as Bajrang Dal workers became furious, and the protest started to pick strength in Barra Beraira village of Mahmudabad tehsil of Sitapur, which falls under Thangaon police station. After learning of the advancements, the police force also reached the spot and tried to restore peace and control the aggrieved members of the Hindu community.

Bajrang Dal activist and District Convener Sandeep Awasthi has filed a complaint with the police. Sandeep says, “Accused Reshma has won elections for the second time. She did this act during her previous tenure. Earlier, such tiles were installed throughout the village. But after the complaint, tiles were taken out from some toilets. These tiles are still engraved in about 8-10 toilets. The police also accompanied us during our visit and found these claims true.” Reports also corroborate that the toilets of Barra Beraira village were built four years ago by the Muslim head. During this time, most toilets had tiles with images of Hindu deities.

As per the FIR, “The head of the Muslim community of the village has deliberately hurt the feelings of the Hindu society. Pradhan Reshma, her husband Buniyad, and Naseemullah are involved in this matter. All these actions have been taken to create tension in the area.”

Apart from lodging the report, the police have nabbed two accused individuals. However, the main accused, Reshma has not been caught yet. The complainant highlights that the statement by Nupur Sharma has created a massive stir worldwide. “Don’t such moves hurt our religious feelings?” he questioned. “So far, two defendants have been arrested in this matter. But Reshma, the female head, has not been arrested yet. If she is not arrested, a Hindu Panchayat will be set up in Reusa, Sitapur.”

Currently, the police force has been deployed in the village to monitor the situation. Regarding this matter, DM Anuj Singh of Sitapur states that the entire matter is under investigation. He has also assured that strict actions will be taken against the one found guilty of this act during the investigation.

SP RP Singh has also weighed in on the disturbing incident of finding images of Bhagwan Eshwara’s Shivling tiles in the toilet. He confirmed that he took action on the matter as soon as the matter was brought to his notice. The SP further stated that an indictment was registered against Pradhan Reshma, her husband Buniyad, and a colleague with immediate effect and that trict action will be taken against them.

Correction

The original version of the article had incorrectly mentioned that the incident occurred in WB, whereas it is from UP.