Telangana man arrested for fake news about Muslims quarantined at Kanipakam temple

Andhra Pradesh : A man who had posted fake messages alleging Muslims were quarantined at the Kanipakam temple was arrested by the Chittoor's Central Crime station police, on 14 April. In messages posted on social media, the Siddipet man, had claimed that the Muslims had hurt the sentiments of devotees by wearing footwear inside the temple premises.

The temple authority had lodged a complaint against the man and a case had been booked against him under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Disaster Management Act, and the AP Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. He was produced before the court in Chittoor on 15 April and was taken to Chittoor sub-jail for remand.

The temple authorities had allocated Ganesh Sadan Choultry, which is located far away from the main temple, as a quarantine centre. However, the accused had made it look like they had allocated the premises of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka Swamy temple to quarantine some Muslim COVID-19 cases. Videos and posts had gone viral across the two Telugu states. Many people had believed the reports and even contacted the temple authorities for clarification.

Meanwhile, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has announced that it will contribute Rs. 1 crore to each district in Andhra Pradesh to provide food to the poor who are facing problems due to the lockdown.