Protest over demolition of Mahatma Gandhi statue in Odisha

JAGATSINGHPUR: Residents and traders of Jagatsinghpur town staged a dharna on Friday protesting the unauthorised demolition of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Chowk in Markandpur on Cuttack-Nuagaon National Highway.

The statue was installed around 50 to 60 years ago. Its placement, however, led to traffic congestion prompting the municipality authorities to plan its demolition and erect a larger statue of Gandhiji in another location. Additionally, another statue was to be erected at Alaka Ashram in Jagatsinghpur town.

In February this year, the Jagatsinghpur Municipality resolved to remove the statue to alleviate traffic congestion and awarded a tender to a contractor for this purpose. However, the contractor demolished the statue on Thursday night reportedly without informing the local people or the municipal authorities.

When local residents came to know of the matter, they created a ruckus prompting the municipality officials to reach the spot. The protesters claimed demolition of the statue without notice was disrespectful. They also raised concerns about the fate of the old statue, questioning whether it would be buried with due respect or used for other purposes.