Telangana High Court order on idol immersion unconstitutional, alleges BGUS
Hyderabad: Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti (BGUS) on Saturday contended that Telangana High Court judgment against immersion of plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in the Hussainsagar is against the Constitution.
Speaking to media persons after a meeting of samiti’s committee members, BGUS general secretary Dr Bhagvanth Rao maintained that the judgment violated the constitutional right to freedom of religion. He said the committee felt the judgment is due to “misinformation” presented in High Court by state government that PoP idols pollute the lake.
“There has been no concrete evidence that contamination of Hussainsagar is due to immersion of idols. It is actually due to hazardous industrial waste being brought into the lake by adjoining nalas,” Bhagvanth Rao said. He claimed a report of Environmental Pollution and Training Research Institute (EPTRI) produced in the High Court in 2001 had observed that there had been no difference in water quality even 60 days after immersion of PoP idols.
The BGUS general secretary demanded that the government supply eco-friendly colours to idol-makers or allow immersion of PoP idols in the Hussainsagar. "The government, without providing eco-friendly colours, is asking public not to immerse idols in city water bodies,” he observed, demanding that nodal agencies concerned ensure hassle-free immersion of idols in the city.
VHP state president M. Ramaraju, who was present at the press conference, warned that as the government has been acting against religious sentiments of people, it will face public anger. He accused the state government of dancing to the tunes of the MIM, and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao of acting like Kasim Razvi.
BGUS member G. Raghav Reddy remarked that Chandrashekar Rao had spent the last seven years sidelining the Hindu sentiments.
The utsav committee members demanded that the state government file a review petition to ensure that “Hindu sentiments” are protected and festival carried out in keeping with religious traditions already in place.
