Coimbatore : BJP and Hindu Munnani today issued an ultimatum of 24 hours to the police, to arrest the miscreants, who burnt tyres and
clothes in front of four temples in the city, damaging properties and trident in the early hours.

The workers of both the organisations and other pro-Hindu outfits took out a march to the vandalised temples and demanded that the culprits brought to the book.

Talking to reporters, Hindu Munnani functionary, Guna said that these incidents have hurt the sentiments of Hindus across the country, particularly Coimbatoreans.

Issuing an ultimatum of 24 hours to arrest those behind the incident, Guna said that police should avoid normal tactics of terming the culprits as mentally deranged persons.

“Why mentally deranged persons target only Hindu temples,” he asked. and warned to intensify the agitation by mobilsing Hindus if police failed to arrest the culprits.

BJP District president, R Nandakumar said that police have failed to arrest those behind the attack on the leaders of Hindu organisations
including RSS and BJP in the last couple of years.

Earlier in the day tension prevailed in parts of the city, following reports of tyres being burnt in front of three famous temples, damaging properties.

According to police, old tyres and clothes were found burnt in front the Makaliamman temple at Five Corner on NH Road, causing damage to a board, bulb, trident and sari decorated on the presiding deity.

CCTV footage revealed that a man on two-wheeler collecting the old tyre lying in front of a puncture shop and setting afire and hurling
in front of the temple.

Reacting to the incident, BJP Vice President, Vanathi Srinivasan urged chief minister to take action against the miscreants and also city
police to bring to book the culprits, as the trident was bent and sari decorated on the deity were damaged in the fire. Even the entire ceiling was blackened due to the thick smoke, she said.

In two other incidents, tyres and old clothes were burnt in front of Vinayagar temple near Railway Station and Selva Vinayagar Temple in Nallampalayam, they said.

BJP sources said that a kerosene-laced clothe piece was burnt in front of a temple near Sangameshar temple at Town Hall. However, police have to confirm the incident yet.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (L and O) G Stalin said that investigations are on to bring the miscreants who tried to vandalise Maakaliamman temple and Vinayagar temple, to book.

Even as the people of Coimbatore are living in tension following two incidents –one with regard to Karuppar Kootam’s derogatory remarks on Kanda Shashti Kavazham and desecrating the life size statue of ‘Periyar’ by hurling
saffron paint in which a Bharat Sena functionary had surrendered, amid the lock down.