Idols on Kannedhara Hill vandalised

SRIKAKULAM: Tension prevailed for some time in the Srikakulam Agency on Friday after the idols of Sita and Lakshmana at the Anajaneya temple on the Kannedhara Hill in Seethampeta mandal were found vandalised.The two idols, made of cement, were removed from the actual place and thrown away by the miscreants.Kannedhara Parirakshana Samiti members had installed the statues Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the Anjaneya temple in November last year.When the priest visited the temple on Friday morning to perform puja, he found the statues of Sita and Lakshmana missing, and informed the matter to the village elders who launched a search operation in the surroundings of the hill.The KPS members, led by Puliputti sarpanch S Mukhalingam, took the help of tribal people and the search finally led yielded result.The missing idols were found on the hill far away from the temple.Seethampeta police rushed to the spot and are investigating with the help of a dog squad.“We have a deep bond with the temples of Anjaneya and tribal deity Mukka Polamma are situated on the hill,” Mukhalingam told Express. About 15 hectares of land on the hill has been leased to Ram Manohar Naidu, son of minister Dharmana Prasada Rao. Naidu owns Virgin Rock Private Limited which is facing an inquiry.