A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered in Mainpuri Kotwali against Samajwadi Party workers for vandalising the statue of Maharana Pratap and indulging in hooliganism here on Saturday. 

It may be mentioned here that on Saturday, SP president Akhilesh Yadav held a roadshow in Mainpuri in support of his wife and SP candidate Dimple Yadav during which some SP workers allegedly raised indecent slogans at Maharana Pratap Chowk.

After the roadshow, a group of SP workers climbed the statue of Maharana Pratap and vandalised it.

According to eyewitnesses, the SP workers bent the spear in Maharana Pratap’s statue and put a SP flag in his hand. They also hurled abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

There is widespread anger among people against the incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condemned the incident in harshest terms. He said: “SP and Congress cannot be expected to respect national heroes. Both the parties can only glorify terrorists and the mafia.”

Agitated over Saturday’s incident, hundreds of people staged a protest at Maharana Pratap Chowk on Sunday, raising slogans and demanding immediate arrest of all SP workers involved in the incident, including the party’s Lok Sabha and assembly in-charges.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police have registered a case against 90 to 100 SP workers under sections 147, 188, 295-A, 504 and 171H of the Indian Penal Code.

Local people said that a day earlier, at the end of his roadshow in Mainpuri, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had paid floral tributes at the statue of Maharana Pratap.  The local people also accused the hooligans of urinating at the statue.

Anger against the SP has also taken the social media by storm with people expressing their ire against the incident. Social media users are targeting Akhilesh Yadav for this incident and demanding a public apology from him. At the same time, the video of Chief Minister Yogi paying floral tributes at the statue of Maharana Pratap and the desecration of the statue by miscreants is also being shared widely.

One user wrote: “Saifs of the Saifai brand Samajwadi Party have insulted national hero Maharana Pratap by vandalising his statue. On the other hand, Chief Minister Yogi ji had paid floral tributes at the statue of the national hero after the end of the roadshow in Mainpuri. The difference is clear.”

Another social media user, Dr Richa Singh, wrote: “After Akhilesh’s roadshow in Mainpuri, the statue of Maharana Pratap ji was vandalised. An attempt was made to break his spear. Yogi-Modi were abused. ‘Akhilesh is coming’ is no longer just a slogan, it has become a threat.”

Arun Rana wrote, “The act of disrespecting the statue of brave Maharana Pratap by SP supporters in Mainpuri is extremely condemnable. Strict action should be taken against all the accused.”