Statue-Versus-Statute: Akali Dal Says Rajiv Structure An ‘Encroachment’; Congress Says Will Further ‘Beautify’ It 

In the wake of the vandalism that took place against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s statue at the Salem Tabri area of Ludhiana, Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) [SAD] leaders have filed a complaint before the police commissioner against the statue stating that it encroaches upon public property, reports The Indian Express.

The group of complainants, led by SAD spokesperson Maheshinder Singh Grewal, contended that the statue had been put up without permission from the municipal corporation or any other official department. The statue is located right along a road which connects the city with the national highway.

In another controversy relating to the statue, an SAD leader Prabhjot Singh Dhaliwal has filed a police complaint against Congress leader Gursimran Singh Mand for cleaning Rajiv Gandhi’s statue with his own turban and milk. He details in his complaint that Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was also present on the occasion and a few individuals in the crowd were shouting slogans against the Sikh community. Dhaliwal has alleged that those individuals also threatened to murder him.