Osmania University student held for offensive comment on Ayyappa

WARANGAL: Student of Osmania University Bairi Naresh who allegedly made “derogatory” remarks on Lord Ayyappa which triggered protests from devotees, BJP and VHP leaders in Telangana state was arrested on Saturday, police said.

A police case was registered against him on Friday for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments after a video purportedly showing him making “derogatory” comments on the Lord went viral in the state.

On Saturday, Lord Ayyappa devotees and members of Hindu organisations, along with political leaders, staged a protest, held dharnas, and burnt the effigies of Bairi Naresh, who made derogatory comments about Lord Ayyappa beginning in the morning here in the erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts. They demanded that the PD Act be imposed on Naresh immediately.

Naresh, a native of Sriramulapalli village in Kamalapur mandal in Huzurabad constituency, had allegedly made remarks on Ayyappa and criticised the Hindu parents for inculcating such traditions among the kids, while addressing a meeting in Vikarabad district on December 19

Following this several Hindu organisations, including Ayyappa devotees, lodged 16 cases across the state and sought his immediate arrest.

The devotees also staged a road blockade at Warangal Chowrasta and held protests in Hanamkonda, Kazipet, Jangaon, Mahbubabad, Jagtial, and Karimnagar districts. Meanwhile, Vikarabad superintendent of police N. Koti Reddy said that after registering complaints against Naresh, they started a manhunt to nab him as he had been absconding for the past two days.

By tracing his social media accounts, he was taken into custody while he was going to Hyderabad from Khammam at Warangal and shifted to the Kodangal police station. Naresh was produced before the court and sent to Parigi sub-jail on 14-day remand.

In the old Karimnagar district, BRS MLA Dr S. Sanjay Kumar extended his support to the protest staged by the Ayyappa devotees and participated in the dharna held at the district headquarters in Jagtial.

Condemning the comments made by Naresh against the Hindu gods, the MLA demanded that strict action should be taken as per law against him.

The VHP staged a dharna at the Ambedkar circle in Huzurabad. In Karimnagar, the BJP, under the leadership of district unit president G. Krishna Reddy, staged a protest with black ribbons at Court Chowrasta.