A day after a group of activist from Hindu Sena installed a bust of Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, at a temple in Jamnagar, Congress leaders demolished the statue and said that they would file a police complaint against the Sena workers for being "anti-national".
On the other hand, the Sena workers also threatened to file a police complaint against the Congress leaders for vandalising the statue.
On Monday, the Hindu Sena workers led by its President Pratik Bhatt installed the bust of Godse at a Hunman temple after the local authorities didn't allow them a public place for the same purpose. The saffron organisation had announced earlier in September that it would erect a statue of Godse. On Monday, on occasion of Godse's death anniversary, the workers installed the statue near Hanuman temple.
On Tuesday morning, Digubha Jadeja, Jamnagar Congress president reached the temple with his supporters and demolished the statue. Jadeja told DH, "For the past two months, these handful of people from Hindu Sena have been putting up banners and posters promoting Godse, the killer of Mahatma Gandhi. On Monday, they even installed the statue. That's why we decided to remove it. How can we allow statue of Gandhi's killer. We are also going to file a police complaint against the Sena leaders."
Defending his move, Sena's Gujarat president Pratik Bhatt said that he has been holding "seminars" and meetings to place Godse's statue in a public place to "instill sense of nationalism among today's youth." But, he said, "Congress leaders destroyed the statue. We are going to file an FIR against them."
Meanwhile, the Jamnagar police registered two separate FIRs against Hindu Sena for installing the statue of Godse and again Congress leaders for vandalism. Congress leaders including Jadeja have been booked for destroying Godse's statue and throwing the saffron strap, which had covered the statue, as trash, thereby, hurting religious sentiments. Similarly, Hindu Sena leaders including Bhatt have been booked for installing Godse's statue without any permission and insulting followers of Mahatma Gandhi and creating animosity among people.
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