Man vandalises temple in Jammu, claims to have acted against ‘black magic’ after arrest

Jammu, Jul 7 (PTI) A temple was vandalised on the outskirts of Jammu, police said on Sunday, adding that the perpetrator was arrested within hours of the incident.

The man, alleged to be responsible for the vandalism and arson at the temple, claimed he carried out the act on Saturday night after being “annoyed by black magic being practised by some some members of the community” at the temple, they said.

Arjun Sharma, a local resident, confessed to his involvement before the magistrate, solving the case within a few hours of the incident, Jammu (rural) Superintendent of Police Brijesh Sharma told reporters here.

The SP said the timely arrest of the culprit has averted a potential flare-up over the issue.

This was the second incident of vandalism reported at a place of worship in the past week in the Jammu region. Earlier, a place of worship was found vandalised in a village in Reasi district on June 30, with police detaining 43 suspected persons for questioning.

SP Sharma said an FIR under relevant sections of law was registered at Nagrota Police Station after a complaint was received that some idols were desecrated and mats set on fire by unidentified persons at the temple in Narain Khoo area late Saturday night.

A police party along with a team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Crime branch with sniffer dogs rushed to the scene and rounded up four suspected persons on the basis of investigation and CCTV footage of the area, the officer said.

Arun Sharma confessed to his involvement in the incident, the SP said.

“The timely arrest of the culprit averted a certain flare up in the situation. We are thankful to the people for their positive role and maintaining calm to allow police to conduct its investigation,” the SP said, adding the accused worked alone in the incident.

The SP said the accused claimed that he was “annoyed with “black magic” being practised by some members there. He also had a personal enmity with the village ‘numbardar’ and a few others, he said.

The investigation of the case is still at its initial stage and further details will emerge with the completion of the probe, the SP said.

The SP appealed to people to not rush to any conclusion in such “sensitive matters” on social media without getting the version of the police.

Senior BJP leader and former MLA of Nagrota constituency Devender Singh Rana lauded the police and the civil administration for taking a serious note of the incident and reacting promptly to bring the culprit to book.