Ranjit Singh’s statue vandalised at Lahore Fort

LAHORE: A boy jumped into the enclosed area where the statue of Ranjit Singh is placed in Lahore Fort and brought it down with one stroke of hammer. This happened Tuesday morning within half an hour opening of the Fort for public before 8.30am.

This is the third time Ranjit Singh’s statue has been vandalised. The young man uttered expletives against Ranjit Singh and Sikhs. The guard on duty got hold of the miscreant and handed him over to the police.

An FIR has been registered under Section 295 and 427 of PPC. There is a suggestion to change the place of the bust. “This time when the statue will be built it would be placed at an elevated place which will be beyond people’s reach,” said Walled City of Lahore Authority (WACLA) Director General Kamran Lashari while talking to The News. Punjab Tourism Secretary Capt Mushtaq Ahmad (retd) condemned the vandalism of Ranjit Singh’s statue.

In his statement, the Punjab tourism secretary said, “I am deeply saddened to hear about the vandalism of the statue as our heritage is a treasure of State.

“It is also the duty of citizens to protect the heritage of their country”. Tourism department has approached the WACLA and asked the Authority to take legal action to prevent such incidents. Ranjit Singh’s statue was unveiled in the Lahore Fort at the Mai Jindan Haveli, on his 180th death anniversary by Sikh historian, writer and filmmaker Bobby Singh Bansal.

Meanwhile, Lahore CCPO Ghulam Muhammad Dogar while sharing the video and photo of the culprit behind the bars said the Lahore Police will initiate a legal action against him. The CCPO’s spokesperson said the culprit was an activist of banned organisation Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan(TLP). He was also witnessed shouting slogans of Labbaik soon after the arrest. PM’s aide Shahbaz Gill said legal action against the culprit would be taken promptly. He said few days ago the statue of hockey star Samiullah was also damaged. Such steps tainted the image of Pakistan and reflected a sick mind. He vowed to take strict action against such miscreants.