BENGALURU: Bengaluru, once a city of gardens, has now become a city of statues. This is evident from the additional work given to the city police who are deployed to guard these statues during violent protests. Bengaluru which had more gardens and water bodies is now making space for statues. Various community-based organisations and political leaders put pressure on the government and get statues installed. Most of these statues are made of bronze.
Earlier, there were only statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B R Ambedkar, but in the recent past more community-based statues are coming up to appease various communities. These statues end up in the eye of the storm during protests. Policemen are deployed to ‘’protect’’ these statues.
As the country witnesses the unveiling of the world's tallest statue — that of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — The New Indian Express checked out the expenditure and other issues related to the statues in the city.
A few years ago, the Sangolli Rayanna statue at Gandhinagar near City railway station became the target of vandals who tried removing the sword from the statue. Later, a complaint was registered and policemen were deployed to protect the statue.
There was a proposal to install CCTV camera as well.
Additional Commissioner of Police Seemanth Kumar Singh said those seeking to install statues receive permission from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). "Since it is in a public place, it will be public property and it will be our duty to protect public properties,'' he said.
A senior police officer, on condition of anonymity, said every time there is a protest or inter-state row, these statues become targets. "With due respect to the legends, statues become a nuisance. We are trained to protect the public in case of a law and order issue, but some of us end up guarding these statues. First of all, there is a shortage of policemen to safeguard the public and then we end up guarding these statues,'' he said.
N Mukund, Joint Secretary, Citizens Action Forum and a resident of Jayanagar, said various community and political leaders show interest in installing statues of religious, political and other famous leaders. Instead of installing statues, if they had followed the values that these very leaders preached and practised, things would have been better in our country.