Two Arrested For Kicking, Desecrating Idol At Temple In Gujarat's Rajkot After They Share TikTok Video Of The Act

Two men were arrested on Wednesday (1 July) for vandalising an idol in a temple in Gujarat's Rajkot. The accused had also shot a TikTok video clip of their alleged act and shared it on social media, The Times of India reported.

According to police officials cited in the report, the two accused have been identified as Jayesh Chudasma (27) and Dinesh Mahida (25).

In the video that was shot by Mahida, the two are in a temple where Chudasma could be seen kicking and desecrating the Nandi idol. He later went on to bang a door in the temple with his kick. The accused, after the arrest, confessed to their crime and told the police that they very heavily drunk.

After the accused shared the video clip on WhatsApp and other social media platform on 28 June, one person named Karan Parmar found the act offensive and hurtful to his religious sentiments. Upon conducting some independent investigation into the matter, Parmar learned that the alleged crime was committed in a temple in Rajkot's Shapar Veraval industrial zone.

"As soon as the complaint was lodged, we swung into action and traced the accused. The accused are also seen smoking in the temple premises in the video. Both the accused are labourers. They said they were looking for a subject to make a TikTok video and decided that the desecration of an idol in a temple would make a sensational video," ToI quoted an official from Shapar Veraval police station.

"The accused also said that they were in an inebriated state when they had committed the crime. They also claimed to have made another video saying 'sorry' about their act and uploaded it on WhatsApp and social media," the official added.