Unidentified suspects have been charged with damaging an idol at a temple in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir. Locals in Mahanpur’s Dhamlar-Morha village were outraged over the alleged incident on Monday and obstructed the major road to demand authorities take action against those responsible, according to police.

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“An FIR has been registered and a police team deputed to probe the incident and bring the culprits to book,” a police official said. According to officials, several unknown individuals entered the temple and reportedly damaged the idol.

Furious residents, headed by District Development Council member Goldy Kumar, stopped the major route as word of the suspected vandalism spread. Police hurried to the scene and convinced demonstrators to disperse and promised them of a thorough investigation to identify the perpetrators and bring them to account.

In the last three months, there have been three separate reports of temple vandalism in the Jammu area. In the Sidhra region of Jammu on April 8 and in the high reaches of Doda district on June 5, a temple was vandalised by unidentified miscreants.

(With inputs from PTI)