Before digging, special prayers were conducted as villagers too participated in the excavation of the national highway. (Source: ETV Telegana/Youtube) Before digging, special prayers were conducted as villagers too participated in the excavation of the national highway. (Source: ETV Telegana/Youtube)

In a country like India, strange things happen in the name of religious beliefs and superstition. This time things went overboard when a villager dug up a national highway in search of a lingam. He was later arrested in Telegana.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, 30-year-old Lakhan Manoj was arrested on Monday after he dug up a 15-feet well on the National Highway 163 that connects Hyderabad and Warangal. Manoj, who is a self-proclaimed seer, had claimed that he was “visited” by Lord Shiva in his dreams and was “asked” by Shiva to look for the Lingam. The incident took place at Pembarthi of Jangaon district.

Along with him, a village sarpanch, a municipal vice chairman and a local Congress leader have also been taken to custody for helping him in the act.

According to a report in The Hindu, special prayers were conducted before the digging began and curious villagers participated in the excavation. However, even after digging 20 feet, they could not find anything as police later arrived on the scene and arrested them. The excavation created a traffic jam on the national highway.

“How can these village elders believe him and take up digging of the road? We have booked cases against them….We shall fill up the pit with the help of Roads and Buildings department and recover the cost from the villagers,” Jangaon deputy commissioner of police T Venkanna told Hindustan Times.

Venkanna also added that Manoj apparently told the villagers that Lord Shiva has been visiting him for the past five years and asked him up that particular spot near Pembarthi.

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