Siege of Hindus in AP: An Overview

Andhra Pradesh is probably the most discussed state in social media at the moment with continuing attacks on temples and deities in the state. AP has been flagged as a hotbed of evangelist activities since the times of the current chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father Y. S. Rajashekar Reddy. It was crystal clear that he aided missionary activities by letting them run amok in the state with the help of foreign contributions through FCRA and set the precedent for helping them through government machinery. Even though NDA ally TDP won the assembly elections after his demise, due to the growing number of converts, CM Chandrababu Naidu overlooked the missionary activities. Naidu even promised to recognise converted SC Christians as a community that deserves reservation on par with SC Hindus.

The BJP which likes to showcase itself as the saviour of Hindus didn’t do much either when missionary activities continued unabated under the rule of TDP. Now, the beast has come back to bite Hindus more ferociously with the return of the prodigal son at the helm of the affairs. He is pulling the police department to vouch for his ‘Hindu friendly’ credentials and spinning these discussions as pure political warfare when it actually is a cultural one. Recently, the DGP of the state called a press conference and released statistics of temple attacks in the past. As per the information provided by him, there have been about 228 cases of attacks on temples in 2020, 305 cases in 2019, 267 in 2018, 318 in 2017, 332 in 2016 and 290 in 2015. This was used to paint an image that the number of attacks on temples is relatively low compared to when TDP and BJP were in power.

However, these are only the number of cases that were formally registered. There are cases where the local police being converts themselves refuse to even accept the complaint and sometimes threaten the Hindus on behalf of the missionaries. Jagan has alleged that the opposition is conducting a ‘guerilla style warfare’ whenever he introduces new welfare schemes in an attempt to tarnish his government’s image. While this could be a possibility, he has used it to suppress the voice of SM users and amateur YouTube journalists who report on temple attacks. Six journalists from different backgrounds such as newspapers, news channels and YouTube channels were arrested and locked up for ‘falsely propagating the corrosion of temple arch as an attack on the temple in Singarayakonda’.

Similarly, when controversy erupted about crosses appearing in decorative lights during Tirupati Brahmotsavam, those who shared it in social media were booked for spreading falsehood and disturbing communal harmony. However, the decorative lights were taken down to be replaced with ones resembling poorna kumbham. But the fact remains that the lights looked like cross when seen from far. There is also an unofficial ban on channels like ABN and TV5 which have been actively voicing these concerns. It is alleged that 3 ministers of the ruling government threatened the cable operators to take these channels off air.

On the other hand, it seems the AP government is actively engaged in buying out journalists and news outlets to peddle propaganda in their favour. The News Minute, a well known leftist-communist news portal put out a video titled “The war on communal fear mongering in Andhra” which was promoted by the verified AP government fact check handle.

There were reports in social media that in Golkonda district the hands of Ganesha idol were chopped off in a village temple. But police issued a statement claiming that the hands fell off long before and that it was an attempt by miscreants to spread fake news. It appears the idol was damaged and kept safely and the hands fell off when someone touched/disturbed it. It was confirmed by a journalist when he talked to the priest. However the cops were adamant that the hands weren’t damaged now and asked the media to not report the incident.

With the help of police and state friendly media, AP government is trying to suppress news about such incidents of attacks on temples getting reported by threatening to lock up and sue people for spreading fake news. Even after all this, in the last week of December and the first week of January about one incident per day of temple attacks were ‘reported'(for we do not know how many were suppressed). Among them were throwing meat and blood inside Krishna temple for which a drunkard was arrested. Based on this, both police and so-called seculars claim that all such attacks on temples are done by drunkards, thieves, treasure hunters, mentally disturbed people, etc. It has been the case so far.

After that the head of Shri Rama idol in Rama Theertham temple in Vizianagaram was beheaded; Subramanya swamy’s hands were chopped; Sita Devi’s idol was vandalised; Ketu idol was broken in another Sivalayam in Vijayawada and Ganesha idol’s hands were chopped off in Visakhapatnam. The police department claims that they have found political background to these incidents based on call records and threaten to arrest politicians. In the Krishna temple case, the temple administrator being fed up with inaction of the officials climbed atop a cellphone tower to protest – only after which the drunkard was caught. This, like many other incidents shows the uncaring attitude of the police department and the local administration towards protecting temples. 

Now Jagan has formed a committee for ‘communal harmony’ and directed the police department to be on high alert. Now they are asking temple administrations to install CCTVs. Temples whose wealth is plundered by the state to provide for sectarian schemes like Christmas ration kits, have to spend for CCTVs for their protection from their own pockets. It must be kept in mind that AP government spends from its coffer for renovation of churches which don’t come under its purview at all.

On the other hand, apart from directly attacking temples evangelists indulge in desecrating them by other means as well. Last week devotees encountered a group of evangelists praying and playing Christian songs in front of Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Kondaveedu like it was a picnic spot. Those who questioned the preachers and shared the encounter in social media were booked for ‘promoting enmity between religions’. In another incident, BJP functionary Yamini Sharma was simply not allowed to climb up a hill where a new church has popped up with concrete steps and all. Locals claim there are small temples atop the hill where even marriages were held recently. 

But evangelists were daring enough to use a temple tank for Baptism in Guntur, Jagarlamudi. Prakasam district has been next to East Godavari when it comes to the onslaught of missionaries and it saw crosses planted on hills near an ancient temple. Even though Legal Rights Forum an organisation working towards exposing missionaries and taking legal route to tackle them managed to get police remove the crosses, the Mason who worked on the temple’s renovation was threatened of murder by evangelist goons.

While the instances of burning the temple chariots of Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy temple in Bitragunta and Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Antarvedi created much furore, it was the beheading of Shri Rama’s murti in Rama Theertham temple that acted as the tipping point with the picture of the archaka crying which went viral. With a Christian CM in chair, BJP with a bright future ahead, dying TDP and budding Jana Sena have grabbed the chance to play the saviours of Hindus organising protest after protest against the attacks on temples.

Even though they do it for political benefits, it has brought a chance for the Hindus of AP to wake up and assert themselves. Recently, Pastor Praveen Chakravarthy who proudly claimed to have kicked and desecrated idols and trees which are considered as deities by local Hindus, was arrested albeit it being very late. These series of incidents could very well be a turning point in the history of Andhra in coming out of the hold of evangelists and reclaim its dharmik legacy – if Hindus choose to fight for dharma.