Man arrested for vandalising Ranjit Singh’s statue in Lahore Fort

Islamabad: The Punjab police have arrested a man who is believed to be the worker of the banned religious outfit Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for vandalising the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh located at the Lahore Fort.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Tibbi Police (in Lahore) on the complaint of the Walled City’s Security Supervisor Tariq Mehmood, an identified man on August 17 entered the Lahore Fort for visiting the place and for sight-seeing.

As he passed by the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he became furious and while jumping over the protective fence went near the statue and vandalised it with a hammer.

The statue of the Sikh emperor of Punjab who ruled the state of Punjab for almost four decades (1801-1839) is located close to the Haveli of Maharani Jind Kaur, Ranjit Singh’s third and most favourite wife.

Immediately, after the incident was reported and the video clip showing the attacker who was later identified as Muhammad Rizwan a resident of the Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab went viral on social media, the Lahore police arrested the man.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar in a statement assured strict legal action against the attacker.

This is the third incident of vandalising the statue of Ranjit Singh since its unveiling in June 2019 to commemorate the ruler’s 180th death anniversary.

In the video that is making the rounds on social media, the vandal can be seen chanting slogans of “Labbaik” that are the trade-mark of the TLP whose animosity towards Ranjit Singh is an open secret.

The party’s deceased leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi on a number of occasions in public rallies and Friday sermons had objected to installing the statue of Ranjit Singh in the heart of the city.

Ranjit Singh, according to Rizvi, killed scores of Muslims to extend and protect his rule over the Punjab and in the subcontinent.

Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry condemned the act of vandalism terming it a “shameful” act.

“This bunch of illiterates are really dangerous for Pakistan’s image in the world,” he expressed his resentment in a tweet.

Netizens from across the border and around the world have expressed their resentment and disapproval of the act.

Raza Ahmad Rumi, a journalist and development researcher, in a tweet said the act reflected how we had disowned, discredited and erased our non-Muslim heritage, this was no surprise. Restoration work would be completed in a few days but it would require serious work for decades to undo the follies of the past, said Rumi in his tweet, adding, “Maybe it’s too late now.”

Chief Minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar also took notice of the incident and directed the Lahore CCPO to submit a report in this regard.

He directed that action be taken against the suspect in accordance with the law, and ordered for the statue to be restored to its original form.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the undisputed ruler of the Sikh empire with Lahore as capital. It spread across many parts of the current Pakistan, India and even had borders with Afghanistan.

His statue was gifted by the Sikh historian, writer and filmmaker Bobby Singh Bansal’s organization, the S.K. Foundation, based in London.