Police fired teargas shells to disperse a stone-pelting mob in Fatehpura as tension gripped the old city area of Vadodara after an idol of Lord Shiva was found damaged Sunday night inside a temple on Lal Akhada main road in the communally-sensitive locality.
While there were reports of stone-pelting in the area, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control. As soon as the news of a broken Shiva idol spread in the area, residents reached the temple and started protesting.
Police officer at the spot said, “Some locals claimed that they had seen miscreants damaging the temple. They have suspicion on some persons, and we will accordingly probe the case. We do not know who are these people as we are trying to ascertain facts from the locals first. We have brought the situation under control… Those responsible for this will be dealt with severely.” Units of the city police have been deployed to guard the temple and the area, which is known for communal flare ups.
Additional Commissioner of Police D J Patel, who was also rushing to the spot, said, “We are probing the case. We will know the exact details only later.”
