Bengaluru: Tension prevailed near Koday's junction near the City Railway Station in Majestic after pro-Kannada activists staged a protest following the desecration of the statue of Sangolli Rayanna, the prominent Kannadiga warrior and the army chief of Kingdom of Kittur, who laid down his life fighting the British.
Traffic was thrown out of gear for a while around Majestic area, Okalipuram junction, Anand Rao circle, and the City Railway station on Saturday. The police said that the incident took place late on Friday night and the miscreants had tried to steal the bronze sword. As they were not able to detach the sword from the statue, they tried to break it and later fled.
The sword, weighing 25 kilograms, was fixed to the right hand of Sangolli Rayanna statue, which was inaugurated in 2010.
The government had spent Rs 13 lakh and a security guard was also deployed during the day hours, but not during nights. Taking advantage of this, the miscreants had tried to make away with the sword, said the police.
Noted pro-Kannada activist Vattal Nagaraj said that the police should arrest the miscreants soon and the BBMP has to provide proper security at the statue premises. It is shameful that the miscreants tried to desecrate the statue, which is also located close to Upparpet police station and the City railway police station, where a lot of policemen are always present, he added.
It is suspected that the miscreants were under the influence of alcohol and we have obtained footage from the CCTV installed in the traffic signals nearby. A special team has been formed to trace the accused, police said.
Home Minister K.J. George also visited the spot and said that the government will take stringent action against the accused and the statue will be repaired in a proper manner.
