Saidabad riots began with a Hanuman Hindu Temple being desecrated with splashes of green color and cow meat (April 8th 2012)

Bhagyanagar, Hyderabad - An indefinite curfew was today imposed in the sensitive Madannapet and Saidabad areas of the walled city. A Hanuman temple at Kurmaguda, (in Saidabad) was found desecrated on the Sunday morning which was followed by incidents of stabbing and heavy stone-pelting, hence curfew has been imposed, police said.

A day after the Hanuman Jayanti, in the early hours of Sunday, 8th April 2012, the devotees of the Hanuman temple at Kurmaguda, in Saidabad, were in for a shock to find green colour had been splashed on the walls of the temple and pieces of cow meat were thrown inside the temple from the grills.

The naturally agitated Hindu youth protested against this sacrilegious act. The Muslims who are a majority in that area launched an offensive on the Hindus and both sides engaged in a duel of stone fight. Sensing trouble, the police indulged in lathi charge and also fired tear gas hurting many of the protesters. At the same time, the Muslims grouped themselves into a larger group and more or less occupied the main road of Saidabad armed with stones and swords, eye witnesses told NewsBharati.

The incidents were reported from the Madannapet and Saidabad areas of the Old City here. Additional forces have been deployed there, a senior police official told.

Curfew has been clamped till further orders in the areas under Madannapet and Saidabad police station limits, Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan said, adding police have picked up two persons for questioning.

“Miscreants pelted stones at buses and set at least two vehicles on fire. Two incidents of stabbing have also been reported,” the police official said.

“The situation is now under control. We have posted pickets and preventive measures are in place,” Hyderabad Police Commissioner A K Khan added.

“We are keeping strict watch in the sensitive areas,” Khan told reporters, appealing to people to cooperate with police and not beMeanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy directed Director General of Police, Dinesh Reddy, and other senior officials to take stringent action against the miscreants responsible for Madannapet incidents.

Hindu groups are demanding security of the community and punishment to wrong doers. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the situation by talking to the top officials, official sources said.

Here is a video showing some of the riot struck areas during enforcement of a curfew by authorities.

(from News Bharati with additional inputs from Press Trust of India)

Sri Hanuman

(CHAKRA) A Hindu temple named as “Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir” has been planned for Old Bridge Township in New Jersey (USA).

This 20,000 square feet temple in an 18.5 acres lot will be replica of a famous temple of the same name in Varanasi (India) and required official approvals/permits have reportedly been obtained and funds are being raised. Its groundbreaking ceremony was held on April one in the plot purchased from a church group and the construction is claimed to be completed in about 18 months. State Senator Sam Thompson, Old Bridge Township councilors Debbie Walker and Richard Greene reportedly attended the ceremony among others.

Meanwhile, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, praised efforts of temple leaders and Old Bridge and surrounding area community to realize this wonderful temple.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this temple would focus in this direction. Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism; we should focus on inner search and realization of Self and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which was the goal of Hinduism.

Rajan Zed explained that Lord Hanuman, which would be the focus of this temple, was greatly revered and his worship was very popular among Hindus. Son of wind-god, besides incredible strength and changing shape at will and flying, he was believed to be a perfect grammarian, great scholar and excelled in all the sciences. According to a legend, even while he was still an infant, he intimidated the sun. In Mahabharata war, flag on Arjuna’s chariot driven by Lord Krishna displayed Lord Hanuman. According to a belief, all the planets were under his control, Zed added.

Mangal Gupta is the founder and chairman of the temple project. Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents.

Incorporated in 1869, Old Bridge Township had been named as a contender for the title of one of the best places to live in USA by Money magazine and houses Raceway Park, racetrack famous for hosting funny car and drag races. Prominent people associated with Old Bridge include novelist Junot Diaz, actor Brian O’Halloran and actresses Colleen Fitzpatrick and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe. Owen Henry is the Mayor while Brian J. Cahill and Lucille Panos are Township Council President and Vice President respectively.