CHITTOOR: Tension prevailed in Kanipakam town after some unidentified miscreants set ablaze the old wheels of a chariot belonging to the Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy temple in the early hours of Thursday.
According to sources, the wheels of the chariot were removed from the chariot in 2007 after they were found to be in a dilapidated state.
The removed wheels were placed in the temple’s godown till 2014. They were later shifted to an open space near the Goshala, located about half-a-kilometer from the temple, along with other scrap materials.
On Thursday morning, locals noticed the wheels on fire and informed the temple authorities and local police. However, the wheels were reduced to ashes by the time the police reached the spot. Locals said there was no chance of the wheels catching fire accidentally and suspected the involvement of some unknown miscreants in the incident.
Assistant Commissioner and in-charge EO of Kanipakam temple P Kasthuri said: “The original chariot of the temple is safe. All the belongings of the temple are kept in a shed with tight security and CCTV surveillance. Some scavengers might have set afire the old wheels to extract metal.”
The in-charge EO added that an internal probe has been launched. Kanipakam police also began an investigation.