Pakistan: Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue vandalised again in Lahore, one arrested

A new case of hatred towards symbols related to Indian history has come to light in Pakistan. The statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been vandalised once again in Lahore. This act was done by a person associated with Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organization, who was caught by the people present around the time of the incident.

A video of the incident has also surfaced on social media in which a man wearing a white kurta-pyjama is seen breaking the leg and other part of the idol. Slogans can be heard in the video as well. 

The statue of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, outside the Haveli of Rani Jindan at Lahore fort, vandalised by a Tehrik-e-Labbaik worker. pic.twitter.com/M6zEA2Clx0

— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) August 17, 2021

The people present at the site caught the man and handed him over to the police.  Notably, TLP is a political party of Pakistan, which identifies itself as an Islamic party. This party was formed in 2015, and was banned in April this year.

This 9-feet bronze statue was unveiled in June 2019 at the Lahore Fort. This is the third time this idol has been attacked since then. Last year in December too, a man had vandalised the statue and broke the hand of the idol. He was trying to do more harm but people had caught him. Apart from this, a mob had tried to damage the idol as well.

Significantly, the Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh died in Lahore in 1839. At that time, Lahore was a part of India. In his memory, this statue was built on the Lahore Fort i.e. the Royal Fort. In this idol, Ranjit Singh is sitting on a horse and has a sword in his hand. He is seen sitting in the garb of Sikhs. In June 2019, the statue was unveiled and the ceremony was attended by many Sikh representatives from other countries including India and Pakistan.