Guwahati: A statue of Don John Bosco, which was to be unveiled at a public place in Guwahati on Friday, was found dumped in a river that flows through the commercial capital of Assam state.

A Catholic lay leader, who did not want to be identified, told Matters India that Guwahati has been witnessing protests for the past few days over a move to install the Catholic saint’s statue at a prominent public place in the city, the nerve center of northeastern India.

The Don Bosco Society, a Salesian body, has received permission from the city administration to install the statue to mark the 200th birth anniversary of the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco, he said.

Some groups, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, opposed what they said was a move to install a foreigner’s statue in a public place. They questioned the Italian Catholic saint’s contribution to the Assamese society.

They alleged that state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi agreed to the Salesians’ request only to please Sonia Gandhi, president of the Congress Party and an Italian by birth.

On Thursday evening, the statue was placed on a pedestal on the bank of Bharulu River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, ahead of its unveiling scheduled for Friday morning.

The statue which was to unveiled on frida

However, the statue was found in the river on Friday morning. Workers of the Don Bosco Society later retried the statue from the river.

The administration has stopped all further functions until further notice. The Assam State Commission for Minorities called for an emergency meeting at 3 pm on Saturday.

The chief minister had initially agreed to unveil the statue, but reportedly backed out at the last minute citing his engagements in Delhi.

The Press Trust of India reported that police soon came to the spot and took possession of the vandalized statue.

Gogoi condemned the incident and said in a statement, “We understand the local sentiments, but at the same time we must acknowledge the contribution made by Don Bosco in the field of education and the society at large.”

The statue was shifted to the Bharalumukh river front which has statues of the state’s freedom fighters and martyrs after some local organizations and people had protested against its installation near the Dighalipukhuri tank questioning Don Bosco’s relevance to the state.

Guwahati Salesian Province Father V M Thomas and Vice- Chancellor of Assam Don Bosco University, the first Don Bosco University in the English speaking world, had met Gogoi recently for installation of his life-size statue at the Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Library junction in Dighalipukhuri area as part of the concluding ceremony of the birth centenary of Don Bosco on August 16.

The statue was to be installed in recognition of the work done for promotion of education by the Salesian fathers, brothers and sisters, alumni and co-operators for over 90 years in the North-East since 1922, Don Bosco Information Service officials said.