Forest officials demolished an under-construction Varahi Amma temple in Proddutur town along Proddatur-Yerraguntla road near Pennar river catchment using a JCB at 10 PM Thursday, acting on District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri’s encroachment clearance orders. Ranger Hemanjali’s team razed the unauthorized structure under construction for months without approvals and removed Navagraha idols from the site classified as forest land.
BJP, VHP, RSS, and Hindu organizations immediately protested, staging sit-ins demanding officer accountability and temple restoration, escalating on Friday morning by blocking the highway for an hour, stranding vehicles kilometers long until police negotiations restored order.
Local MLA N Varadarajulu Reddy acknowledged construction violated forest regulations requiring prior permissions, but condemned nighttime demolition timing as insensitive toward devotees’ sentiments. He assured protesters of full supportin reconstructing the Varahi Amma temple at the same sacred location after securing legal clearances, leading agitators to call off the highway blockade.
The incident highlights tension between forest conservation mandates and grassroots Hindu temple construction, where communities establish shrines on disputed public lands without statutory approvals.
