BJP Leaders allege encroachment of Hindu Religious Site by Christian Evangelists in Andhra Pradesh, Police busts False Claims
Andhra Pradesh BJP Leaders on Tuesday claimed that a Hindu religious site in Edlapadu Hills which bears the footprints of Sita Maa and an idol of Narasimha Swami was illegally being encroached on by the “Christian conversion mafia”. However, Guntur Police later issued a clarification on the same and labeled the claims as false.
The controversy began as pictures of the Christian Cross being erected at a hillock went viral on social media with several BJP leaders retweeting the same saying, “No place for Hindus in Andhra”. BJP National Secretary and AP co-in-charge said that “Christian missionaries are creating havoc in Guntur, which the BJP has protested against but the CM YS Jagan led administration has tactically supported.”
Commenting on the same, YSR Congress leaders from Guntur said that the controversy was unwarranted for and was only an attempt by the BJP to gain political mileage in the upcoming municipal elections.
FACT CHECK:
According to statements given by the Guntur Rural Police, the BJP’s claim of encroachment of the Hindu religious site are false. In a clarification issued on Twitter, they said that the pictures of the two hillocks being shared online are completely different.
The picture of the Cross being erected was of an old Mother Mary Temple at an adjacent hill in the same village and local Church authorities had sought the District Administration’s permission to construct steps for the devotees to reach the temple.
However, the Church authorities started the construction and erection of the Cross even before the said permission was granted. “The construction was later stopped by authorities and appropriate action would be taken on the same on directions by the Government.”, the Police said.
Nonetheless, they maintained that the hillock on which the Christian Cross was erected is at least one and a half kilometers away from the one where the idol of Narasimha Swami is present, adding, “We request people to not believe in rumors and exercise restraint.”
