At least 20 persons were arrested in Rajasthan’s Jaipur after members of the Hindutva groups Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, along with a group of city residents, protested the alleged vandalism of an idol of folk deity Veer Teja on Saturday, reported The Indian Express.

Amid the protest in the city’s Sanganer area, a mob attempted to set fire to a petrol pump but were removed from the area by the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Tejasvini Gautam was quoted as saying by the newspaper that the idol was vandalised at a temple in Pratap Nagar around 3 am. As news of the incident spread, a crowd gathered near the temple to demand the immediate arrest of those responsible.

The crowd blocked the nearby Jaipur-Tonk road, which is a national highway, for around three hours and burnt tyres. “A catastrophe was averted by a quick action of the police,” Gautam said.

The police had to use “mild force” to disperse the crowd and additional forces have been deployed to maintain law and order, India Today reported.

The police official also said that one person, identified as 34-year-old Siddharth Singh, had been detained in connection with the alleged vandalism.

“He said that he was mentally disturbed because his work was not going well, so when he saw the temple and offered prayer there, he got angry in frustration and vandalised the statue,” Gautam was quoted as saying by ANI. “The accused was immediately traced out and arrested within a few hours.”

Congress leader and Rajasthan’s former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the vandalism, calling it “unacceptable”.

“Veer Tejaji Maharaj’s statue being broken in Pratap Nagar is highly condemnable,” Gehlot said. “The government must identify and take strict action against those responsible. There should be effective security arrangements at religious sites to prevent such incidents in the future.”