PUDUKKOTTAI: In the wake of allegations that a Ganesha idol on the premises of the district collector’s bungalow was forcibly shifted and damaged, Collector IS Mercy Ramya dismissed them as “fake news” and suspected it to be an “orchestrated” hate campaign. “We are pressing a police case against the culprits behind the hate messages spread on social media,” she said.
Since the past few days, a message reading thus is being widely shared in WhatsApp groups: “The first action the new district collector took was removing a 60-year-old Ganesha idol installed in front of the Collector’s bungalow. She warned officials that she would not shift to the place if the idol was not removed. As the idol was removed, it suffered damage. This shows the religious fanaticism deep-rooted in the collector. She has to be removed from power for the move.”
A few other similar messages spread online claimed the Ganesha idol to be from the Thondaiman dynasty and blamed the collector’s instructions for it sustaining “damage”. Following the messages around a hundred members of the BJP and political outfits blocked the camp office on Saturday, and quarrelled with the police, demanding that they be allowed to inspect the condition of the Ganesha idol inside. With the police continuing to deny entry the protesters dispersed.
BJP district president A Vijaykumar in an open letter to the collector said, “The police have denied the BJP, Hindu outfits and the general public from entering the premises and inspecting the idol. It is the district collector’s duty to inform the general public the truth or else it would lead to communal problems in the district.”
Meanwhile, the district administration came out with a statement that read thus: “The district administration that runs on the principles of the Constitution has been attempted to be painted with communal colours by miscreants. It is a planned one and action will be taken on those behind it.”
When contacted, the collector told TNIE, “The idol remains in its original place. We have also asked the museum director to inspect the idol as evidence to show that it is neither ancient (from the Thondaiman dynasty) nor that it has been damaged.”