Nehru statue uprooted, dumped in forest; Bengal Congress issues deadline

Tensions have risen in Durgapur in West Bengal's Paschim Burdwan district after a large statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was allegedly uprooted with a crane and dumped in a forest area near a primary school. The incident has triggered a political storm between the Congress and the BJP, with both sides accusing each other of being responsible.

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) has condemned the alleged demolition and demanded that the statue be restored to its original location within 24 hours. The party has warned of a major agitation if the police fail to act within the deadline.

The statue stood in front of a meditation centre next to Harshavardhan Primary School in Durgapur. According to the Congress, it was removed on Friday, 28 August while a Raksha Bandhan ceremony was being organised at the site.

Congress leaders allege that the statue was lifted with a crane because the organisers needed additional space for the ceremony, and was subsequently thrown into a forested area beside the school. They have also pointed to the presence of Durgapur East BJP MLA Chandrashekhar Banerjee at the event.

District Congress president Debesh Chakraborty expressed outrage over the incident. “Jawaharlal Nehru's statue was uprooted with a crane and thrown into the forest like this. A Rakhi Bandhan ceremony was held there. The MLA from Durgapur East was also present at that ceremony,” he said “We will not accept this insult to the former prime minister of the country. We are giving the police 24 hours. They have to take action within this time. Otherwise, we will launch a movement.”

The Congress has described the alleged treatment of Nehru's statue as an insult not only to the former PM but also to the country's history. The party has demanded that those responsible be identified and punished. The BJP, however, has rejected the allegations outright. Banerjee said the BJP had no role in the incident and accused a section of the Congress of working with the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

“There are two groups in the Congress. One group has secretly joined the Trinamool Congress and it is this Trinamool that has demolished the statue of Jawaharlal Nehru. Congress is trying to blame BJP by protesting,” the BJP MLA claimed,

He also referred to an earlier dispute involving statues and union offices near the AVL complex, claiming that his intervention had prevented a statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi from being damaged.

Banerjee said, “Three or four union offices were demolished in front of the AVL office at the initiative of ADDA. With my intervention, the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi remained, no one broke it.”

He insisted that the BJP should not be blamed for the Nehru statue incident. “The BJP is not behind the demolition of Nehru's statue either. Look who did all this. We also want exemplary punishment for them,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya has called for firm action against those responsible. He said, “Those criminals who are associated with this are trying to abolish the statues of the great men who fought to make India independent.”

Defending Nehru's historical legacy, Bhattacharya added, “Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru ji was the one who carved the way for the new India after independence. They might try to destroy the statue but they will never be able to wipe him out from the hearts of Indians.”

He warned that allowing such incidents to go unpunished could encourage further vandalism. He said, “If this becomes a precedent, then statues of many great men will be vandalised in future. The government must take strict action against the miscreants and set an example.”