Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the alleged incident of paint being thrown at the bust of the wife of late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, Meenatai Thackeray, reported news agency ANI.
On Wednesday morning, red paint was found on the bust of Meenatai Thackeray at the historic Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai.
While speaking on the issue with the reporters in Pune, CM Fadnavis assured an investigation into the matter and mentioned that the police will track down the culprits involved in the case.
“Such an incident is completely condemned. Whoever has done this, the police will track them down and take action. I do not find it appropriate to drag too much politics into this matter,” CM Fadnavis said, reported ANI.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey termed the incident a major failure of the Maharashtra government. He questioned how the culprits were able to succeed in their motive despite the presence of CCTV cameras and police patrols.
“If someone dared to throw paint on her statue and then flee, it shows a major failure of the current Maharashtra government. Today is the era of CCTV cameras everywhere, with police patrolling the streets,” Anand Dubey told ANI.
He also demanded immediate action by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis into the matter, stating that the party workers are staying quiet on the behest of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.
“So, how are statues of our great people getting defaced? Was this done intentionally?… We demand that Devendra Fadnavis take immediate action. We`re all staying quiet at the behest of Uddhav Thackeray. Otherwise, if all Shiv Sainiks take to the streets, it won`t be good for anyone,” he said.
Meanwhile, the statue of late Meenatai Thackeray, the wife of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, at Shivaji Park in Mumbai was defaced with oil paint, leading to the arrest of a man on Wednesday evening who was identified through CCTV cameras.
The accused has been identified as Upendra Pawaskar, an official said, adding that the suspect is being interrogated, reported PTI.
The incident came to light when an onlooker spotted red oil paint on the bust and the pedestal around 6.30 am. As the news spread, workers of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) rushed to the spot and cleaned the premises. The police were subsequently informed, an official said.
Eight teams were formed to identify the perpetrators, the official said, adding that police are scanning footage from CCTV cameras installed in the Shivaji Park area.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
