Hyderabad: Lord Rama statue removed from Basheer Bagh amid ‘Sri Ram Chowk’ row
New Delhi: A statue of Lord Rama installed at Basheer Bagh Chowrasta in Hyderabad during Vijayadashami celebrations was removed on Saturday, October 24 amid a controversy over its installation and a proposed name change for the junction. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order.
The statue had been installed near the Ammavari Temple at the junction by the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS). The organisation’s general secretary, Dr Ravinuthala Shashidhar, had appealed to Hindus to refer to Basheer Bagh as ‘Sri Ram Chowk’.
The installation drew objections from Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leaders, who questioned the move and sought clarification from the authorities about the permissions granted for the installation.
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Statue removed amid police deployment
On Saturday, temple staff removed the statue with the help of a crane and loaded it onto a lorry. Police were present in the area as a precautionary measure amid concerns about possible communal tension.
The removal comes after the installation and the proposed renaming of Basheer Bagh Chowrasta became a point of contention between the Hindu organisation and MBT leaders.
MBT questions permissions for installation
MBT spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan alleged that the statue had been installed without permission from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad City Police. He also questioned why the authorities had not acted earlier when Shashidhar appealed to Hindus to refer to the junction as ‘Sri Ram Chowk’.
Khan sought clarity on whether any formal proposal had been submitted to rename Basheer Bagh Chowrasta and whether permission had been granted for construction at the site. He also questioned whether the statue installation and the reported religious structure in the area had received the necessary approvals.
Row over proposed name change
The controversy centres on the installation of the statue during the Vijayadashami festival and the BGUS campaign to refer to the junction by a different name. The development has drawn attention to questions surrounding permissions for installations in public spaces and the proposed renaming of the prominent Hyderabad junction.
Police remained deployed in the area to prevent any disturbance. Further clarity from the civic body and police on the permissions and proposed name change is awaited.