The Arkansas secretary of state's office recently denied a Universal Society of Hinduism request for a proposed Lord Hanuman statue on state Capitol grounds.
Chief Deputy Secretary of State Kelly Boyd wrote in a letter Monday to the group's president, Rajan Zed, that the office was unable to comply with the request, according to a Friday news release.
A spokesman in the secretary of state's office confirmed the denial Friday, saying that the request had not gone through the proper process in the Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission for approval.
Zed said in a statement that he is now considering that a request for the privately funded statue be sent to Gov. Asa Hutchinson's office.
The Universal Society of Hinduism made the formal request for a Hindu statue earlier this month after announcing its intentions in July.
Zed noted that Hutchinson signed a bill into law April 8, which was sponsored by state Sen. Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, to add a privately funded Ten Commandments monument on Capitol grounds.
Hutchinson said this summer that additional monuments on Capitol grounds would require legislative action and secretary of state approval.