Labelled ‘jihadi’, Sai Baba’s idol demolished in Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 4: The Delhi Police is investigating the removal of a Sai Baba idol from a temple in south Delhi's Hauz Khas after some devotees filed a complaint alleging it was demolished, officials said on Sunday.
Locals said the idol has been replaced with a Lord Ganesha Idol.
Police said while no formal case has been registered in the matter yet, the temple authorities will be called for an enquiry.
The complaining devotees approached the police after a purported video of the removal incident surfaced on social media. In the video, a man supervising the removal of the idol could be seen arguing as to what religion the idol represented.
The middle-aged man who supervised the demolition, a real estate businessman, Padam Panwar, distanced himself from it. But Saraswati exulted in it. “Sai Baba was a pindari lootera (lawless raider),” he told Scroll.in over the phone. “His name was Chand Khan. He was a jihadi. It is the madness of our Hindus that he is now in our temples.”
The man who supervised the demolition was congratulated for his actions by a Hindu hardliner priest, as seen in videos that circulated on social media.According to police, on March 25, a Sai Baba idol was removed from the temple of Shahpur Jat, Hauz Khas, by the temple committee and local residents as the idol was about 10 years old.
An idol of Hindu diety Ganesh has replaced the Sai Baba idol.
"This idol was set up by temple committee member Padam Panwar. And now the Padam Panwar along with other committee members such as Bharat Panwar, Jiya Panwar, Satyanarayan, Naresh, Mohan Panwar and Pandit ji have decided to setup new idol with the consent of local residents," a senior police officer said.
The officer, however, said the matter is under enquiry.
"We have received a complaint. The matter is being looked into and appropriate legal action will be taken accordingly," said Atul Kumar Thakur, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).
No case has been registered yet and the temple authorities will be called for an enquiry in connection with the incident, he said.
Sai baba statue demolished in Delhi Shahpurjat village pic.twitter.com/aIlbvmOFin
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
