Patna: Tension gripped Bihar’s Gaya town on Sunday following extensive damage caused to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi by unidentified miscreants. The police immediately initiated a probe to identify those involved in the incident.
The incident came to light on Sunday morning when some residents of Bairagi locality in the district headquarters found the statue of Mahatma Gandhi damaged.
The residents immediately contacted ward councillor Gopal Paswan, who informed the local police. Paswan said that the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was situated near an underconstruction community hall.
A police team rushed to the spot and inquired about the incident. Police suspect the involvement of some local residents in the incident.
“We are trying to obtain CCTV footage from nearby buildings in the locality. The identity of the accused will be ascertained with the help of the CCTV footage. The statements of some residents of the locality have also been recorded,” said an investigating officer.
Meanwhile, Paswan said that the nose, face and ear of the statue had badly been damaged. “The motive of the miscreants is clear. They intended to remove the statue from the spot for their vested interests. Everything will be clear in the next few days,” he added.
This is not an isolated incident.
Earlier, the statue of BR Ambedkar had been damaged by unidentified miscreants at Katarmal village in Begusarai district last October.
A similar incident was reported from Saran district in April 2023.