The Hampi police have arrested a tourist on the charge of damaging a historical monument at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi in Ballari district on Wednesday.
According to the police, Nagaraj, 45, a resident of Avalahalli in Bengaluru, who was in Hampi along with his friends, was taking a selfie when he had accidentally brought down two pillars at the Saalu Mantapa outside the Vijaya Vittala temple heritage site.
The guards of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who were on duty at the site, informed the police and the tourist was taken into custody.
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Following a complaint lodged by ASI officials, the police later booked a case under Section 30 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, against Nagaraj. Others in the team were not booked as they were not involved in the act
“Since there had been rain for the last few days, the ground holding the historical pillars on the protected heritage site got loose. When the accused pushed one of the pillars, it collapsed onto another pillar, which also fell to the ground. Though it was an unintentional act, we have booked a case after the ASI lodged a complaint. We have to respect heritage monuments and the law in force to protect them,” C.K. Baba, Superintendent of Police, Ballari, told The Hindu .