• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Maharana Pratap Statue Mainpuri: A row erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri after a few Samajwadi Party supporters allegedly disrespected a Maharana Pratap statue by climbing over it and placing the party flag. The incident came to light after a video of some youths attempting to place a flag over the statue surfaced. According to reports, the incident occurred after a roadshow held by the Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in the region.

Following the huge backlash over social media, the Mainpuri Police booked around 90-100 unnamed Samajwadi Party workers for allegedly vandalising a statue of Maharana Pratap and indulging in hooliganism, police said on Sunday.

The police took a suo-moto cognizance of the matter. The case was filed under various sections of the statute books and charges imposed include, rioting, stoking religious hatred, disobeying orders of a public servant, and breach of peace, Kotwali Police Station SHO Fateh Bahadur Singh Bhadauria told PTI.

The incident also invited strong rebuttal from the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who called it "insulting and contemptuous behaviour" of the SP workers.

In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, "This kind of insulting and contemptuous behaviour of the Samajwadi Party leaders with the statue of national leader Maharana Pratap is highly condemnable. I condemn this act..."

However, a few social media handles also reported that the incident was presented wrongly and alleged that BJP workers washed the statue after the SP leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav garlanded the statue of Maharana Pratap.

Mainpuri is a stronghold of the SP, previously represented by the late Mulayam Singh Yadav. The constituency is set to vote on May 7 in the third phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The 2019 elections saw a major upset for the SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) securing 64 out of 80 seats, leaving the alliance with only 15 seats.