Hanuman temple idol vandalized in Hyderabad's Chandrayangutta; FIR registered

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 26 (ANI): An FIR has been registered after the idol of Lord Hanuman at a nearly 200-year-old temple in the Chandrayangutta area of Hyderabad was vandalized by unknown miscreants, police said on Tuesday.
According to the police FIR copy, on February 24, 2026, at about 12:00 hours, a complaint was received from J Naveen Kumar, aged about 39 years, working in a private job and residing at H No 18-9-122, Kumarwadi, Chandrayangutta, Hyderabad.
In his complaint, Naveen Kumar stated that there exists a nearly 200-year-old temple, namely Sri Dwimukhi Anjaneya Swamy Temple, situated at Hanuman Banda, Barkas, Chandrayangutta, Hyderabad. The said temple is of great historical and religious importance to the Hindu community and has been a place of regular worship for devotees for several decades.
On February 24, at about 8 AM, when he visited the temple for darshan, he noticed that the grill lock of the temple was broken. On entering the premises, he found that the main idol of Lord Hanuman had been damaged by unknown miscreants. He immediately informed the local residents about the incident.
The complaint stated that the manner in which the lock was broken and the idol damaged clearly indicates a deliberate and malicious act intended to hurt the religious sentiments of the Hindu community.
The complainant submitted that the temple is situated in a relatively isolated area and there have been instances of nuisance and unlawful activities around the temple premises in the past. This incident has caused serious concern, fear and anguish among the devotees and local residents.
He requested that adequate security and protective measures be provided to the temple to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future and urged authorities to register an FIR under appropriate provisions of law, conduct a thorough investigation, identify and apprehend the persons responsible for this act, and take strict action against them in accordance with law, in the interest of maintaining law and order and communal harmony.
As per the contents of the petition, V Srinivasa Rao, Sub-Inspector of Police, registered a case in Crime Number 80/2026 under Sections 324(2), 329(4), 298 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and took up the investigation.

Police are investigating the matter, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators responsible for the vandalism. (ANI)