Mayawati's statue vandalised, tension in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: A little-known organisation, Uttar Pradesh Nav Nirman Sena, vandalised a marble statue of former chief minister Mayawati in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar area, triggering tension in the state.

Three persons were detained by the police. The incident led to protests by BSP workers at many places in the state, including Jhansi, Ambedkar Nagar, Deoria, Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur.

BSP alleged that it was the handiwork of SP workers, but chief minister Akhilesh Yadav condemned the incident and claimed it was a conspiracy to vitiate the atmosphere in the state. The state government has started the process of replacing the damaged statue with a fresh one.

"Some unidentified youths this noon damaged one of the marble statues of former CM Mayawati, using hammers and then fled from the spot," a senior police officer said.

The miscreants broke the head and damaged the arms of the nearly four-feet high statue installed at the Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, he said. The UP Nav Nirman Sena claimed responsibility for the incident, saying it was its way of expressing anger over scams which took place under the Mayawati regime.

"The incident occurred around 1 pm. The presence of photographers suggested a conspiracy," DGP AC Sharma said.