Lahore: Fundamentalists in Pakistan are not happy that India abrogated Article 370 that scrapped the special status of Kashmir. They took their anger upon the statue of Maharaja Ranjith Singh in Lahore. He was the 19th Century ruler of the Sikh Empire.
The attack was carried out by two men belonging to Tehreek-Labbaik Pakistan party of radical cleric Maulana Khadim Rizvi. Both the men have been apprehended after locals informed about the identity of the attackers.
The 9-foot tall statue was unveiled in June on the 180th death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjith Singh. The men had entered the Mai Jinda’s Haveli at Lahore Fort armed with clubs and bricks and damaged a part of it.
The accused Adnan Mughal and Asad have been arrested by the police and detained under the blasphemy law of Kashmir.
Pakistani fundamentals want to erase any links with Indian culture and history that their country shares. A statue of a Sikh King in Islamic Pakistan is too much for the Taliban mindset of these radicals.
Recently, they destroyed the centuries old Guru Nanak Mahal which had hurt India and all the Sikhs worldwide. It was a place where Sikhs used to come and worship. Reports say that Pakistani authorities were in cahoots with the local attackers who destroyed the Mahal.
The Mahal is considered to have been around four centuries old. The Mahal bearing the name of the founder of the Sikh religion had 16 rooms with rare and expensive doors and windows. The attackers broke up the doors and windows and stole it without realizing the historical and religious value of the artifacts.
