PM strongly disapproves vandalism of statues
BY Team MP8 March 2018 12:03 AM IST
Team MP8 March 2018 12:03 AM IST
New Delhi/Chennai/Kolkata: Incidents of tit-for-tat vandalism of statues in Tripura, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal spurred Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to express strong condemnation and warn of "stern action". The home ministry has ordered all states to check such incidents and has cautioned that senior government and police officers will be held responsible for vandalized statues.
The prime minister also spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the matter and expressed his strong disapproval of such incidents, according to an official statement.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has said it has taken serious note of such incidents and directed state governments to take strong action.
"I appeal to everyone, all parties that anyone indulging in such acts should be dealt with strictly. These incidents can never be justified," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters outside Parliament.
In an advisory to all states and union territories, the Home Ministry said incidents of the toppling of statues had been reported from certain parts of the country.
The Prime Minister stepped in a day after two Lenin statues were pulled down in Tripura - which has voted the BJP to power after 25 years of Left rule - and a statue of Tamil icon EVR Ramasamy or Periyar was vandalized in Tamil Nadu.
A bust of Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was vandalised in Kolkata on Wednesday, allegedly by Left supporters, an obvious act of retribution following the razing of statues of Lenin in Tripura, officials said.
Security around statues has been tightened in Delhi and Mumbai.
There was angry outburst in Tamil Nadu, where a statue of Periyar was vandalised hours after BJP leader H Raja suggested it in a controversial Facebook post responding to rage over Lenin statues being razed in Tripura.
A petrol bomb was thrown at a BJP office in Coimbatore by three bikers in the early hours on Wednesday. No one was hurt.
A statue of BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution, was also damaged in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.
The cycle of vandalism began after two statues of Lenin were demolished in Tripura on Tuesday, allegedly by workers of the BJP, which defeated the Left in the northeastern state on Saturday.
However, in a climbdown on Wednesday, H Raja "expressed regret" for his post and said: "Vandalising Periyar statues unacceptable.
BJP chief Amit Shah termed the desecration of Lenin's statues in Tripura and Periyar's bust in Tamil Nadu "extremely unfortunate", and asserted that any party member found involved in destroying a statue will face severe action.
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