Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue vandalised in Pakistan; second incident in a year

LAHORE: A statue of 19th-century ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore in Pakistan was vandalised by unidentified men on Friday (December 11). According to reports, the miscreants were reportedly upset over speeches of a few radicals in Pakistan. 

The nine-foot-tall statue of Singh, who died in 1839, was unveiled in June on his 180th death anniversary. The statue, made of cold bronze, shows the emperor sitting on a horse, and carrying a sword. Popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled over the Sikh empire in the Punjab region in the early half of the 19th century. 

Following the incident, local police arrested a teenager, identified as Zaheer, a resident of Harbanspura, Lahore in Pakistan. As per sources, he, along with his companions, disfigured the statue, installed at Royal Fort in Lahore. 

The nine-feet tall statue of the Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh was unveiled at Lahore Fort in June 2019. The statue was unveiled to commemorate the legacy and 180th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Made of bronze, the statue has been sculpted by local artists under the guidance of the Fakir Khana Museum. 

However, barely months after it was unveiled, the statue was vandalised by two miscreants, Adnan Mughal and Asad in August 2019. According to reports, they were upset with the Indian government's decision to scrap Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate the state into two union territories. 

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