Balangir: A statue of legendary leader late Biju Patnaik near Parshuram Chhak at Patnagarh in Odisha’s Balangir district was set ablaze on Tuesday.
According to sources, the statue was installed here by former Patnagarh MLA Saroj Kumar Meher.
However, it got embroiled in a controversy following protests by a particular Hindu community, demanding installation of Lord Parshuram’s statue at the Chhak named after him. Members of Brahmin Samaj had staged a sit-in for around one month and the matter later reached the Orissa High Court, which then ordered for covering the statue in a polyethene sheet.
Meanwhile, police have detained a person, who was found loitering around the statue while it was on fire. It is being suspected that he is mentally unstable.
Former minister & senior BJD leader Sanjay Das Burma strongly condemned the incident. He further alleged the BJP government has repeatedly been showing disrespect to the legendary leader.
In March, miscreants vandalised a statue of the former chief minister at Hanuman Chowk in Mahanga area of Cuttack district. The incident, however, took a new turn after the two accused claimed that they damaged the statue in an inebriated state after being instigated by a close confidant of senior BJD leader and former Minister Pratap Jena.
