Haridwar, March 9: Amid series of vandalism attacks on statues of prominent figures across the nation, a statue of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised in Haridwar on Friday. As per initial reports, the statue was damaged by some unidentified miscreants in that area. However, a new statue has been reinstalled at the spot. The Police investigation into the matter is underway.

The statues of Communist, right-wing and anti-caste champions have been targeted in recent days.  The attacks on statues of historical and political leaders started in Tripura earlier this week and similar incidences have been reported from various parts of the country since then.

Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov or Lenin statue Vandalised in Tripura:

On Tuesday, two statues of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov or Lenin were knocked down in Tripura’s Belonia town. As per reports, the statue was brought down by suspected BJP workers who were celebrating their party’s victory after the recently concluded Assembly elections. The recent election in the northeastern state- Tripura ended the 25-year rule of the Left Front in the state.

Mahatma Gandhi statue in Kerala

On Thursday, a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was found defaced in Kannur district's Taliparamba town in Kerala. The police have arrested one man in connection with the incident. “He is mentally unstable and we are ruling out any political relation,” a police officer told ANI. Some locals on the spot were reported as saying that they saw a man hurling a stone at the statue before fleeing the spot.

Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee in Kolkata:

A bust of Jan Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was blackened and vandalised at Keoratala Crematorium in Kalighat in Kolkata. The day before, a statue of Ambedkar was damaged in Meerut. As per reports, members of a left-wing student organisation named 'Radicals' allegedly vandalised the statue and also blackened its face. Reports state that six members of the group have been detained by the police in the incident.

The state BJP leadership condemned the incident and demanded strong action against the offenders. "We condemn the act of vandalising the statue of Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee... demand very strong action against the culprits and also want to give... message that you cannot take away the contribution of Mukherjee in building West Bengal, by this shameful act," Sayantan Basu, general secretary of West Bengal BJP said in a release.

E V Ramasamy Periyar's statue in Tamil Nadu

In a similar incident, E V Ramasamy Periyar's statue was vandalised at a municipal corporation office in Vellore. R Muthuraman, who was arrested on Tuesday for damaging Periyar’s bust in Vellore, Tamil Nadu. As per reports by Tamil Nadu police, the statue of the founder of the Dravidian movement was vandalised. A senior district police officer said that two people, identified as Muthuraman and Francis, damaged the bust at Tirupattur in an inebriated state.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose statue in Jabalpur

A statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was defaced in Jabalpur on Thursday. As per reports, red ink was splashed on the statue. The administration has been alerted after the incident while police investigations are underway.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘strongly disapproved’ incidents of vandalism of statues in certain parts of the country and spoke to home minister Rajnath Singh on the growing concern. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said, “I appeal to everyone, all parties, that anyone indulging in such acts should be dealt with strictly. These incidents can never be justified.”

Meanwhile, BJP president Amit Shah said, “I have spoken to the party units in both Tamil Nadu and Tripura. Any person associated with the BJP found to be involved with destroying any statue will face severe action from the party.”

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2018 06:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).