Pakistan court grants bail to man arrested for vandalising Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue

On Friday, a court in Pakistan has granted bail to the man who vandalised the statue of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at Lahore Fort. A report by ANI, quoting The Express Tribune, says the accused, Rizwan, was given bail by the court, even the evidence of the damage was recovered from him. The accused's counsel informed the court that the police have completed their investigation and have recovered a hammer from his possession.

The accused was arrested on Tuesday and was under custody since then. This is not the first attack in the country against the places of worship of minorities. A few weeks back, videos of people vandalising a temple in Pakistan also projected a similar picture. Some media reports also suggest that the accused is a member of the radical group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). The statue of the tall Sikh figure has now been vandalised thrice in a while under Imran Khan's government. In December 2020, the Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue was vandalised. On June 27, 2019, the nine-foot-tall cold bronze monument was unveiled at the Lahore Fort to commemorate the previous ruler's 180th death anniversary.                                                                                                           

A video of the attack shared by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) President Manjinder Singh Sirsa shows a person pulling down the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. 

Manjinder Singh Sirsa on the incident

Sharing the video from Lahore in Pakistan, the DSGMC President said that the Pakistani radicals have hurt the Sikh community by vandalising Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue. He also mentioned that Khadim Hussain Rizvi earlier spoke ill about the Maharaja, and now his party men are doing such things. Mentioning Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in his post, he urged for stern actions against the culprits.

Also, he tweeted about talking to the Joint Secretary, Minister of External Affairs, Dr JP Singh, on the incident. "I have apprised Jt Secretary, Minister of External Affairs (PAI) JP Singh about this incident who has assured me that he would take up this matter with Pakistan embassy in India and ask them to take a strict action to curb such hateful vandalising events," Sirsa said in a video posted on his Twitter handle. 

Image Credit: Twitter