Amid the series of attacks on statues of political and ideological figures across the India, the Jammu and Kashmir government led by Mehbooba Mufti is all set to install a statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh at Lakhanpur, entry point of the state. Sources told that in a bid to pay tribute to the founder of royal Dogra dynasty and first Maharaja of the state the PDP-BJP led coalition parties have directed the district administration and other concerned officers to work out and discuss modalities to install a statue of Gulab Singh.
The sources added that Minister for Forests, Environment and Ecology Choudhary Lal Singh has already inspected site for installation of statue of Maharaja Gulab Singh at Lakhanpur, entry point of the state, adding, Adding, Singh also directed the Deputy Commissioner to identify the place for the statue besides ensuring other related preparations for installation of the statue.
Meanwhile a ‘statue war’ has trigged across the country following two statues of Communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin were brought down in Tripura after the BJP's emphatic win in the state over the Left, which was in power for more than 25 years. On Tuesday, a statue of social reformer Ramasamy Periyar was stoned in Tamil Nadu's Vellore districy, allegedly by a BJP worker who has since been taken into custody. The next figure to come under attack was the bust of Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in Kolkata's Kalighat. On Wednesday, miscreants have targeted a statue of Dalit icon Dr B R Ambedkar in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut.
Meanwhile, the Home Ministry sent an advisory to all states and Union territories to take strong action against anyone involved in the destruction of statues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his strong disapproval of statues being vandalised in parts of the country.