Amaravati, Dec 31 (IANS) A man, who allegedly vandalised the century-old Shiva Lingam at the historic Draksharamam Bhimeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh’s Ambedkar Konaseema district has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

The Shiva Lingam near the Kapileswar Ghat, close to the North Gopuram of the temple, was found vandalised in the early hours of Tuesday.

Bhimeswara Temple, also known as Draksharamam, is one of the most revered shrines in the state.

The accused, who was caught on the CCTV camera near the Kapileswar Ghat around the time of the vandalism, was identified as Srilam Srinivas.

According to police, Srinivas resorted to vandalism following a dispute with the temple priest over the conduct of some rituals.

Endowments Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy said he has ordered an investigation into the incident. The minister said the accused was identified with the help of CCTV camera footage.

The accused, who came on a bike, was masked and was seen moving with a bag. He used a hammer-like object to vandalise the Shiva Lingam.

The minister said the accused had a rift with a person in the temple administration, but he vented his anger by resorting to the desecration of the ‘Lingam’ located at the Sapta Godavari canal bank.

The incident, which occurred on Vaikunta Ekadasi, had initially triggered widespread protests.

A new ‘Shiva Lingam’ was ceremoniously reinstalled shortly after the incident to pacify devotees and restore the sanctity of the ghat.

District SP Rahul Meena, who has rushed to the area, inspected the damaged Shiva Lingam. Clues team, dog squad and forensic experts were pressed into service to gather the clues.

As there were no CCTV cameras around the temple, police retrieved the footage from cameras in nearby areas and identified the suspect.

Following a swift manhunt by four special police teams, the suspect was taken into custody.

The accused’s interrogation revealed a personal motive rather than an organised communal act, the police said.

He was identified as Srinivas, a resident of Thotapeta village in Draksharamam.

Following the incident, authorities installed high-definition CCTV cameras and deployed police personnel at the temple.

Earlier, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spoke to the Endowments Minister and directed him to ensure the immediate arrest of those involved.

The Chief Minister directed officials to enhance the security of temples across the state to prevent similar incidents.

–IANS

ms/svn