Guwahati: Some Don Bosco alumni Wednesday condemned the alleged desecration of the statue of St John Bosco by the state BJP, hours after the national party staged a protest in front of Raj Bhavan alleging government misuse of police to arrest four of its “innocent” members.
The statue was partially damaged and pushed into the Bharalu by a mob comprising more than hundred people on the morning of August 7. The police had picked up four persons, including a BJP woman councillor, for their alleged involvement in the vandalism. The four are in now in judicial custody.
The public condemnation is a first by former students of the school. The group of alumni told reporters here that the incident was an insult to their forefathers who had welcomed St John Bosco (Don Bosco) with open arms.
“The incident has shamed us in front of the world,” one of them said.
“The indigenous people of Assam have always been known to be liberal and people of various castes and creed have lived here peacefully. The Don Bosco Society has contributed a lot in spreading education in our region. By such acts of vandalism, the BJP is trying to kill our vibrant culture. Communalism is becoming a deep-rooted problem in our state. Those involved in the incident should apologise for this act,” said Zubair Anam, an alumnus of the school.
“A person may protest, but showing disrespect cannot be tolerated. Desecrating the statue of an educationist who brought a positive change in the lives of many children is a shameful deed,” said Kankan Sarma, another alumnus, reported The Telegraph.
The state BJP, however, claimed that the entire incident had been fabricated by the ruling Congress to malign its image.
“Our members who have been arrested are in no way involved in the vandalism of the statue of Don Bosco. The Congress government has misused the police in arresting our members without any proof of their involvement. It had purposely allowed installation of the statue, knowing that it would trigger chaos. It intended to cast the blame on us thereby tarnishing our image in front of the public. We brought this to the notice of the governor today,” said Shantanu Bharali, vice-president of the state BJP.
“We have no problem if Don Bosco’s statue is installed within the premises of educational institutions. But why has the government taken no initiative to install statues of illustrious individuals of indigenous communities who made remarkable contributions to Assamese society? Recognising the contributions of such individuals will forge a strong tie among different communities living here,” Bharali said.