One held for attempt to vandalise Gandhi statue at Pune railway station; Cong workers gather to protest
Mahatma Gandhi
's statue on the premises of Pune railway station on Sunday night, bringing Congress workers together in a demonstration at the very spot on Monday.
Police said the person had a chopper on him. He climbed the statue and tried to vandalise it. Citizens managed to pull him down and handed him over to the police, who identified him as Suraj Shukla from Varanasi. Shukla stays in the Vishrantwadi area with his family.
Speaking to TOI, deputy commissioner of police Milind Mohite said, "Shukla's wife works in an IT firm, while he sells rudraksha. His family had gone to Varanasi a few days ago, but he stayed back.
He went to Wai in Satara and purchased the chopper. We have seized the weapon, a mobile phone and books from him for further investigation. There are some discrepancies in his statements, indicating he may not be mentally stable.
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Police said Shukla does not have a criminal record and they are investigating the reason behind his recent act. There was anger among many, especially political parties, towards the incident.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar said, "This is not the first time Mahatma Gandhi is under attack. There have been several attempts in the past to finish the leader's thoughts, but all attempts have failed. Gandhian thought will continue to inspire people of India, despite such attempts."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve said, "Respect for Mahatma Gandhi is not limited to India, but spreads worldwide. It is a shame that such an incident happened in Maharashtra.
It also shows the deteriorating law and order situation of the state."
Meanwhile, Pune unit members of Congress protested the incident near the Gandhi statue on Monday. City unit president Arvind Shinde said, "Such incidents are a result of hatred being spread by the alliance which has formed the govt. Police say Shukla is mentally unstable, but we do not accept the explanation. If he was mentally unstable, how could he purchase a weapon and vandalise Mahatma Gandhi's statue, but no other? He is following a certain ideology and that is why he did what he did.
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The court of judicial magistrate first class GR Dornapalli on Monday sentenced Suraj Anand Shukla (34) to seven days of simple imprisonment and he was sent to Yerawada central jail. Shukla (34) was also fined Rs1,000 for making contemptuous remarks when produced in court.
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