SURAT: A 55-year-old

was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly damaging an idol of Lord

Ganesha

at a pandal near old Surat sub-jail campus during wee hours of Tuesday.

Police said that the accused Harish Kalu Bharti, who had not eaten for couple of days, had entered the pandal in search of food and accidentally knocked down the Gandesha idol.

Bharti, who lives on footpath near the old sub-jail campus was booked for theft, trespassing and damaging the Ganesha idol in the pandal. His movements were captured on CCTV camera. Further investigation revealed that Bharti had first stolen Rs 150 cash from a nearby pan stall and later arrived at the pandal for food.

After the incident came to light on Tuesday morning, pictures and videos of the damaged idol along with text massages accusing minority community members for the act went went viral on social media. This prompted Surat city police to issue notification warning of strict actions against all those found sharing provocative messages.

“We have started process for legal actions against those who shared the messages. We are trying to trace the person who first shared such a message. Without knowing facts some people have mischievously shared the provocative content,” said Harikrushna Patel, city police commissioner.

Police have installed heavy bandobast on city roads for the Ganesha immersion on Thursday. Bhagal main road and few connecting roads will remained closed for traffic movement.