Two workers, apparently belonging to the Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal on Tuesday vandalised a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Ludhiana, as Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh deplored the act and asked SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal to apologise for the act of his party workers.
The miscreants sprayed red and black paint on the statue at the Salem Tabri area in Ludhiana, police said. They carried out the act in full public glare and blamed Rajiv Gandhi for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, they said.
Police said the miscreants demanded that statues of Rajiv Gandhi across the country be removed and Bharat Ratna conferred on him be withdrawn. The statue was later cleaned by some Congress leaders in Ludhiana.
"Indulgence in such petty and condemnable actions will not absolve you or your family of the many sins of omission and commission against the Guru Granth Sahib and the Sikh community," Capt Amarinder said in a statement issued here.