Amaravati, Jan 8 (PTI): The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday constituted a 16-member Special Investigation Team to probe the instances of desecration of temples in the state since 2020.

Director General of Police D G Sawang said the SIT will be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police-rank officer G V G Ashok Kumar and investigate temple-related incidents wherein idols have also been desecrated.

The incidents have caused disturbance to communal harmony in the state, the DGP said.

Sawang, in an official memorandum, directed the Crime Investigation Department and Intelligence wing to extend full cooperation to the SIT in the course of the investigation.

The SIT would periodically update the DGP and the Additional DGP (Law and Order) on the progress of the probe, the memorandum added.

Several incidents of vandalism, including beheading of Lord Ramas head from an idol in the historic Ramateertham temple in Vizianagaram district, had been reported in recent days, leading to an uproar among the faithful.

The police said they were still in the process of investigating the cases and gathering evidence, even as Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy termed the desecration incidents "political guerrilla warfare".

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)