A man named Salman Salim Thakur from Maharashtra has been accused of desecrating the Sri Muthyalamma Temple in Kummariguda, Secunderabad. Salman came to Hyderabad a month ago to attend a personality development workshop. He has been involved in similar incidents in Maharashtra in the past.
Salman, who is 30 years old, is from Mumbra, a place near Mumbai. He arrived in Hyderabad in early October for a workshop organized by English House Academy at Hotel Metropolis in Secunderabad. The police found that Salman was very active on social media. He often watched videos of Islamic preachers like Zakir Naik on platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Over time, he developed radical ideas and started disliking practices from other religions, especially Hinduism, such as idol worship.
On October 14, around 4:30 am, Salman entered the main area of the Sri Muthyalamma Temple in Kummariguda and damaged the main idol. Locals who heard the noise quickly came to the temple, caught Salman, and stopped him from causing further damage. Some people, angry at his actions, even physically confronted him. When they questioned him about why he did it, Salman refused to give any details about his name or reasons. Local police arrived soon after, took him to a hospital, and assessed the situation. A case was filed against him under various sections of the law.
Further investigation revealed that Salman had been involved in similar actions in Maharashtra. In September 2022, he entered a Ganesh Pandal in Mumbai with his shoes on and argued with locals about idol worship. In August 2024, he damaged an idol of Lord Shiva in a temple in Mira-Bhayandar Vasai-Virar, showing disrespect towards religious practices.
