Idol desecration leads to violence and curfew in Yavatmal

The authorities have clamped a curfew in five localities of the Yavatmal town, 160 kilometres from Nagpur, following a series of incidents after a Hanuman idol was found desecrated on Thursday.

A mob had collected around the idol which soon turned violent. The police first resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the mob, failing which they opened fired two rounds. Three people were injured.

Reports said three men entered the Hanuman temple in a drunken state on Wednesday night, smashed photos of the deities and defiled the idol. The three men have been arrested.

The police have intensified patrolling in the town. The situation, though tense, is under control.

UNI