MAHARAJA RANJIT SINGH’S STATUE VANDALISED IN PAK, 1 DETAINED
LAHORE: The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was vandalised by a religious zealot at the Lahore Fort here on Tuesday, the third time since it was installed in 2019. This time the man from a religious organisation pulled down the statue from the horse. A video of the act went viral in which the vandal can be heard sloganeering while smashing the statue.
Police have arrested the vandal who belongs to Tehreek-ilabbaik Pakistan (TLP). In the previous two attacks since unveiling of the statue in June 2019, one of the miscreants belonged to TLP.
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday expressed concern at the vandalisation of a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore, saying incidents of violence against Pakistan’s minorities are increasing at an “alarming rate”.
According to reports from Lahore, a member of the radical group, Tehreek-e-labbaik Pakistan, vandalised the statue located within the Lahore Fort complex. Police detained the man allegedly responsible for the act after he was held by people in the area.
This was the third time the statue, located in a high security area, was vandalised since it was unveiled in 2019 to mark the 180th death anniversary of Ranjit Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh empire.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described the incident as “disturbing” and said: “Such attacks on the cultural heritage of minority communities in Pakistan highlight the growing intolerance and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistani society.” “We call upon the government of Pakistan to ensure the safety, security and well-being of its minority communities,” Bagchi added.
The incident was condemned by several Pakistani leaders, including information minister Fawad Chaudhry.
Meanwhile, Bibi Jagir Kaur, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), strongly condemned the demolition of the statue “Demolishing the statue of a world-renowned Sikh ruler and expressing hatred was an act against humanitarian concerns. I appeal to the government of Pakistan to take stern action against those responsible for desecrating the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh so that no such heinous act is committed again”, she added.