VIJAYAWADA: Mild tension prevailed at Lakshmipuram in Chandarlapadu mandal on Monday with the police forcefully immersing an idol of Goddess Durga stating that no permission was given to celebrate Dasara festival in public places. According to Nandigama DSP GV Ramana Murthy, the villagers set up a pandal for Dasara festival without obtaining the permission from the police department.
When the Chandarlapadu police came to know about the ‘unauthorised’ pandal, a police team descended on the village and asked the organisers and village heads to remove the pandal since they were celebrating the festival in the open flouting Covid-19 norms.
“As the villagers paid no heed to our request, we immersed the idol of goddess by observing all the set procedures,” the DSP said. On the other hand, the irate villagers staged a protest in the village. “Immersing the idol does not augur well for the village,” they rued. However, the situation was brought under control after the religious heads pacified the villagers.