Guru statue disfigured in Kollam

By Our Staff Reporter

KOLLAM, FEB. 2.A statue of Sree Narayana Guru before the SNDP Yogam headquarters here was disfigured by vandals on Tuesday night.

Glass-panes of the shrine housing the statue lay strewn all over and the face and back of the statue were found disfigured. Police said the incident might have taken place after midnight. Though they rushed to the spot, the culprits had left the scene by then.

The Kollam SNDP Union has called for a hartal in Kollam taluk tomorrow.

The statue was installed by R. Shankar in 1953 on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the SNDP Yogam. It is the oldest statue installed by the SNDP Yogam.

Bricks were used to destroy the panes and the statue appeared to have been hacked with a sharp instrument. The nose, right eye, lips and chin of the statue were found chopped off. The left arm and back portion also were damaged.Police have taken one person into custody in connection with the incident. He was seen hanging around the Yogam office premises in an inebriated state, swearing revenge against SNDP leaders.

A posse of policemen posted before the Yogam office this morning was asked to leave by irate SNDP activists.

The chairman of the Sree Narayana Mission and director board member of the S.N. Trusts, Mr. Suwarna Kumar, began a fast-unto- death before the mutilated statue, demanding an apology from the Chief Minister in this regard. He blamed CPI(M) activists for the incident.

Addressing a press conference, the SNDP Kollam Union leaders, Mr. D. Prabha and Mr. B. Purushothaman, said they suspect that the statue was defaced by a ``group that had participated in yesterday night's victory march and celebrations'' over the S.N. College issue.

The SNDP organised a march through the town from the Yogam office in protest against the mutilation of the statue. Hundreds of persons participated in the march.

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Section  : Regional
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