Vandalised Delhi temple to be re-consecrated on Tuesday

The temple in central Delhi's Hauz Qazi, which was vandalised leading to communal tension in the area, is all set to be re-consecrated and renovated from Tuesday, local residents said.

"There has been a lot of tension in this past one week... our Durga Mandir Street committee has come forward to help renovate the temple. New idols will be placed after the purification of the temple tomorrow and renovation work will also began," said Tara Chand Saxena, 53, the secretary of the Durga Mandir Street Committee.

The committee has also organised a public feast in the area from 12 noon to 6 p.m. after the idols are placed.

On June 30, a quarrel over parking turned communal following which the temple was vandalised raising tension in the area. For the incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had summoned the Delhi Police Commissioner and asked him to maintain law and order in the area.

Seven men have been arrested while eight juveniles have been apprehended in connection with the vandalisation of the temple. Three FIRs have been lodged in the incident.

Police said that more arrests are likely as search is underway for other suspects.

Meanwhile, the market in Hauz Qazi is slowly returning to normalcy after shutting down for a couple of days and locals are stressing that the atmosphere is peaceful. However, daily wage workers are in financial difficulties due to lack of work in the area since the incident.

Security personnel are still deployed in the area.  IANS