Belur sees half-day bandh over Ganesha idol desecration, protesters take out march

HASSAN: The Belur bandh, called by various Hindu organizations to protest against the desecration of the Varisiddhi Vinayaka temple on the municipal corporation premises in Belur, wa succesful with all shops and commercial establishments remaining shut till 1 pm on Monday. However, buses and other vehicles continued to ply as usual, and colleges remained open.

Hundreds of people participated in the protest march from the Shree Chennakeshava Swamy temple to Basaveshwara Circle, where they formed a human chain and expressed their outrage. The protesters demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and urged the police to reveal if anyone else was involved behind the scenes.

A purification ceremony was conducted at the temple, which included Homa and Havana rituals. The temple and the idol were thoroughly cleaned and a special puja was performed to purify the temple. The police have already arrested the accused woman, Leelamma, a resident of Vijayanagar layout in Hassan. She had allegedly kicked and disrespected the idol of Lord Ganesha and placed a pair of footwear on the idol.

The temple where the idol was desecrated.

Despite the arrest, the Hindu organizations continued with their protest, demanding a thorough investigation and action against anyone involved in the incident. The protesters demanded that the police conduct a thorough investigation and take action against anyone involved in the incident. They also urged the authorities to take steps to prevent such incidents in the future.