Karnataka - Bellary   

Temple razed, complaints filed against mining firms

Staff Correspondent

BELLARY: The blasting of the Sugulammadevi Temple on top of a hill with rich deposits of iron ore near Honnali tanda in Bellary taluk on Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border has given rise to a new controversy.

Two complaints have been registered with Bellary (Rural) Police and also in D. Hirehal Police in Andhra Pradesh. In the complaint filed with Bellary police, G. Janardhan Reddy, suspended BJP MLC and one of the directors of Oblapuram Mining Company, is one of the accused, while N. Suryanarayan Reddy, Kurgodu MLA, M.P. Ravindra, son of M.P. Prakash, Home Minister, and S.K. Modi of the Vibhuti Gudda Mines, Bellary, are among the accused in the second complaint filed with the Andhra Pradesh Police.

The temple was razed to ground reportedly using explosives in the early hours of Sunday. The temple is said to be an ancient one with many devotees, mostly tribal people, coming from the border villages of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The devotees offer pujas regularly and have been participating in the annual fair.

Mangyu Nayak, temple priest from Honnali tanda, was the first to lodge a complaint with the Bellary (Rural) Police on Monday stating that the temple was demolished using explosives.

In his complaint, he has said that the temple is 100 years old and that he has been worshipping the deity for the past 30 years.

About eight months ago, the Oblapuram Mining Company, which is engaged in mining activities around the temple, had convened a meeting of the villagers and had proposed to shift the temple. But the people had opposed the move. On Sunday morning, when he went there, e found debris in place of the temple. He has named K. Ramachandra Reddy and Janardhan Reddy, (suspended BJP MLC) and others of the mining company in his complaint, the police said.

In the other complaint filed with D. Hirehal Police on Tuesday, V. Reddy Naik, who is also a worshipper of the deity, has accused S.K. Modi, mine owner, Suryanarayan Reddy, MLA, and M.P. Ravindra, among others, as responsible for the incident.

Arvind Srivastav, Deputy Commissioner, said that he and Superintendent of Police Amrit Paul visited the spot.

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