A Central Reserve Police Force jawan was arrested late Tuesday for allegedly vandalising a statue of social reformer EV Ramaswamy, or Periyar, in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai district. Senthil Kumar was taken into custody after the police examined the closed-circuit television footage and he confessed, PTI reported.
The statue was found damaged on Tuesday morning – the latest in a spate of attacks across the country on statues of Lenin, Periyar, BR Ambedkar, Gandhi and Syama Prasad Mookerjee.
Thirty-five-year-old Kumar, who works in Chhattisgarh, was home on leave when the incident took place, Chief Minister E Palaniswami told the state Assembly. He warned of strict action against those who vandalise statues of leaders.
Kumar was allegedly in an inebriated state when he damaged the statue, the police said. The CRPF has suspended Kumar and said he was being treated for schizophrenia, acording to ANI.
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