No breakthrough in Kullu temple heist
Bhanu P Lohumi
Tribune News Service
Shimla, December 11
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the Himachal DGP for investigating Raghunath temple theft in Kullu did not make any significant breakthrough beyond interrogating a few more people and examining records.
“We are working on various leads and investigating the case from all angles and it is too premature to comment on the progress of the investigation,” Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Sanjay Kundu, who is camping at Kullu to monitor the investigations, said.
Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kumar said, “Investigations are in progress and SIT is working on various leads, but there is no major success. All efforts are being made to nab the culprits and gather more information.”
He said information regarding the theft and search was shared with the Shastra Seema Bal (SSB) with request to increase vigilance in their border outposts (BOPs) along the Indo- Nepal border.
The information about inter-state gangs indulging in theft of idols and antiques is being shared with Central investigating agencies and agencies in the states, especially the border states like Haryana, Punjab, J-K, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the DGP said, adding that private temple and the ones managed by community had been asked to recruit guards, install CCTV cameras, provide proper lighting and erect grills for protection.
Meanwhile, the BJP has expressed concern over increase in temple thefts and suggested the government to explore the possibility of constituting a “special temple protection force” to save precious wealth of temples properties as the police department grapple with acute staff crunch at all levels.
“As a large number of posts are lying vacant at all levels in the Police Department and effective cadre work force has been reduced to 50 per cent, it is difficult for the police to spare adequate force for temple protection and the only way out is to set up a special temple protection force,” BJP spokesman Ganesh Dutt said.
Temples managed by private individuals and communities should also arrange for private security and “cash rich” government-controlled temples should also not hesitate to siphon some money for beefing up the security of temples.
“Further, the government can ask panchayats of cluster of villages to identify youth in the village, who are willing to volunteer for temple protection, and impart training to them in protecting temple through community policing,” he said, adding that temple committees should also take up measures like night patrolling by teams of local youth under their supervision.
