The Cyberabad police arrested a man on Monday for attacking the head priest of Chilkur Balaji Temple, CS Rangarajan. The incident took place on February 7 on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The main accused, Kovvuri Veer Raghava Reddy, is a 45-year-old man from East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. Along with him, five others, including two women from Khammam and Nizamabad districts, were also arrested. All of them were presented before the court and sent to judicial custody.
According to the police, a group of people dressed in black uniforms arrived at Rangarajan’s residence. They demanded financial support from him and asked him to recruit people for the ‘Rama Rajyam Army.’ When the priest refused, Raghava Reddy and his group attacked him. They also recorded videos while threatening him.
The incident became public after Dr. MV Soundararajan, the convenor of the Temple Protection Movement, released a statement on Sunday. He also shared a video showing the attackers threatening the priest inside his house, which is located near the temple.
Following Rangarajan’s complaint, the police registered a case. Officials confirmed that all suspects were identified and arrested on the same day, including Raghava Reddy, the founder of the ‘Rama Rajyam’ organization.
The police revealed that Raghava Reddy started the Rama Rajyam group in 2022 through social media. He also ran a YouTube channel where he shared Bhagavad Gita slokas and encouraged people to join the ‘Rama Rajyam Army’ to protect Hindu Dharma. He even posted an announcement stating that people who registered between September 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, would be recruited into the group with a salary of ₹20,000.
In response to his post, 25 people met Raghava Reddy on January 24 in Tanuku. They stayed for four days and later traveled to Kotappakonda, where each member contributed ₹2,000 to get uniforms stitched by a local tailor. On February 7, the group traveled to Chilkur in three vehicles and carried out the attack.
