
Hyderabad: After a day of outrage and heightened tensions over a piece of meat found inside a Hanuman temple in Hyderabad’s Tappachabutra, city police concluded that a cat had brought it into the temple.
At 8:30 am on Wednesday, February 11, the city police received information about a piece of meat, weighing 250 grams, found inside the Lord Shiva Temple in Sankata Vimochana Hanuman Temple premises near Madina Hotel, Natraj Nagar, under Tappachabutra police station limits.
The call was made by the temple authorities after the head priest made the discovery. As the information spread, people began gathering at the temple, and soon Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Hyderabad took up the issue.
Right-wing activists gathered in large numbers and staged a protest at the temple, demanding action against the culprits and a thorough investigation.
Anticipating trouble the police mobilised forces and senior officials reached the spot, holding talks with the local community.
Shops in the area remained closed in view of protests over the incident. According to reports additional commissioner of police (law and order) Vikram Singh Mann, inspected the temple premises.
Addressing the media at the temple, Mann said that there are no CCTV cameras at the Hyderabad temple adding that all possible angles are being examined. Four teams were immediately formed to analyze CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
CCTV footage around Hyderabad temple examined
According to the police, CCTV footage from the north-facing camera of the temple clearly showed a cat carrying a piece of meat in its mouth and entering the temple premises. It was concluded that the cat was responsible for placing the meat behind the Shiva Lingam.
Watch the CCTV footage.
The Hyderabad police have appealed to the citizens to refrain from spreading rumours or misinformation regarding the incident at the temple. “On behalf of the commissioner of police, I commend the prompt and efficient efforts of all officers involved in detecting this matter in a short span of time,” said the dy commissioner of police south west zone.
Note: Article was updated with Instagram video.