SP Mukherjee statue vandalized in Kolkata to counter Lenin statue destruction in Tripura, 6 held

According to reports, to protest the vandalization of Lenin statue in Tripura, at least six persons, who have claimed to be students of city's prestigious Jadavpur University and activists of ultra-Left student outfit RADICAL, gathered at a park beside Keoratala crematorium under Kalighat Police Station limits in south part of the city at around 8 a.m. and they tried to damage the statue with hammers.

Shouting anti-BJP slogans, those students smeared Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's face with black ink.

Locals caught the protesters and called in the police.

Senior officials from nearby Kalighat Police Station rushed to the scene and detained the agitators.

"We have detained six students, including five boys and a girl, for allegedly trying to vandalize a statue at Keoratala and they are currently being interrogated," a local police official told IBNS.

Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned of the incident and demanded strict actions against the protesters.

"We are condemning the barbaric act of vandalizing the statue of the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh Bharat Keshri, Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee, at Keoratola Mohasoshan and demanding very strong action against the culprits who were involved in it," General Secretary of West Bengal BJP, Sayantan Basu, told IBNS.

"We want to give away the message that you just can't take away the contribution of Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee in building West Bengal by this shameful act and we will rebuild the statue with more grace," he added.

In last two days, at least two statues of Russian communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin were razed by BJP supporters in Tripura, barely 48 hours after the saffron brigade came to power in the North-Eastern state.

Left leaders and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned of the incidents while BJP leaders and Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy condoned the act of hooliganism.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)