Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Intense excitement and anger spread in the area over the vandalism of a bust of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in New Alipore in south Kolkata. On Thursday morning, local residents found the right hand of the statue broken. As soon as the news of this incident spread, local residents and the BJP leadership erupted in anger. The BJP has demanded a speedy investigation into the incident and exemplary punishment for the culprits.
According to local sources, the bust of Netaji is located at the Battala Three-Mathar intersection in Ward No. 81 of New Alipore. Residents claim that the statue was completely intact till Wednesday. It is believed that some miscreant or a group of miscreants committed this heinous incident in the darkness of Wednesday night. However, it is still unclear for what purpose and how the statue was broken. As soon as the incident became known, BJP workers and supporters quickly reached the spot. South Kolkata District BJP General Secretary Tarak Banerjee strongly condemned the incident and said, "This incident is very significant just a day after Subhendu Adhikari's warning against making derogatory comments about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Assembly. When the state government has announced the decision to open 'Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Seva Kendra' in all 294 assembly constituencies of the state, such an incident cannot be accepted in the heart of Kolkata." Upon receiving the information, the police of New Alipore police station reached the spot. Efforts are being made to identify the miscreants by examining the CCTV footage of the area. The police are investigating whether this is a planned conspiracy or a mere anti-social activity.