Police here said they have arrested the main accused behind the dumping of meat at a temple in Talgram town, an incident that had led to communal tensions last month.

Chanchal Tripathi lured a butcher with Rs 10,000 and got the meat thrown in the Shiva temple as he was not on good terms with the then SHO Hari Shyam Singh and wanted to settle scores by getting him removed, Superintendent of Police Kunwar Anupam Singh said.

On July 16, communal tensions flared up after the piece of meat was found in the temple. Wooden kiosks belonging to a community were burnt down.

Police have so far arrested 17 people in this case. After the arrest of Mansoor Kasai, who is a butcher, the whole sequence of events came to light, police said.

Mansoor told police that Chanchal Tripathi, a resident of Ranwa village, had asked him to keep the pieces of meat in the temple. He had offered him Rs 10,000.

Chanchal Tripathi had a rift with Hari Shyam Singh, the station incharge of Talgram, and wanted that strict action be taken against him, Mansoor told police.

Taking action, the government had transferred the then District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Mishra, Superintendent of Police Rajesh Srivastava and Talgram police station incharge Hari Shyam Singh.