In pursuit of Shivalinga, villagers dig up a national highway in Warangal

In an act of blind faith, villagers from Jangaon district dug up a 20-feet pit on the national highway connecting Warangal to Hyderabad

Residents of a village in Telangana dug up a 20-foot pit on the National Highway in pursuit of a Shivalinga on Monday. Following a man's claims of dreaming about a Shivalinga buried underground, villagers including the municipal vice-chairman 'excavated' a fully functional and important highway connecting Hyderabad and Warangal. The ruckus brought traffic to a standstill and the police intervened hours later when it was too late.

It was a criminal abuse of public property when residents of Pembarthy village in Jangaon decided to believe anything that 30-year-old Lakhan Manoj had to say. Manoj claimed that he saw Lord Shiva in his dreams who conveyed to him that a Shivalinga was buried near the village. Manoj told the village leaders that the Linga had to be excavated and a temple built in the same place. Carried away by his claims, the villagers agreed to dig up a National Highway where the Linga was supposedly buried, according to Manoj's claims.

In a video that was shot by those witness to this madness, Manoj is seen swaying and shaking vigorously inside the pit that was dug out. But despite digging for over 20-feet no Shivalinga was found. The chaos led to traffic pile up and the police arrived at the spot. Police saw that the villagers had used shovels, earth movers to dig up the pit arrested those responsible. Six people including the village leader were arrested for damaging public property.

The police were appalled at the confidence the locals showed towards Manoj who claimed to have dreamt about a buried Shivalinga. "Investigation is on and we understand that the villagers trusted this man's claims of a Shivalinga being buried at the spot. We have closed the pit, for now, to ensure smooth traffic flow and action against those arrested will be initiated," said West Zone DCP T Venkanna

OneIndia News