Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue incident sparks international outrage

A man has been arrested after vandalising the statue of Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore.

The nine-feet tall cold bronze statue of the celebrated Sikh leader was damaged at Lahore Fort by a man identified as Rizwan; a member of the banned Tehreek-The e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) political party.

In a video that has gone viral the man could be seen breaking the arm of the statue while chanting slogans, then dismantling the Ranjit Singh’s bust from the horse and throwing it on the ground, before being pulled away by another man.

He was then arrested by Pakistan’s Punjab police, and the Lahore Fort’s administration said that strict action would be taken against him.

The official on duty reportedly claimed that the man climbed the six feet fence around the statue. The guards on duty immediately rushed to him and pushed him out of the fence. However, in the meantime, he had broken the body of the statue. He added that three attempts have been made to damage the statue since it was installed in 2019.

“These are religious fanatic people, who come with a particular mindset to the fort for damaging the statue,” the official said. “They do not understand the fact that Ranjit Singh had been ruling this area for many decades and was known as a hero.”

Satwant Singh, president of the Pakistan Shiromani Gurdwaras Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) welcomed the arrest was confident that he would be dealt with strictly by law enforcement authorities.

“The Pakistan authorities took prompt action and put him behind the bars,” he said. “Such elements try to vitiate the brotherhood between the Sikhs and Muslims and would never be tolerated. We, in Pakistan, feel safe as the law and order here is prompt when it comes to such shameful incidents.”

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, a Sikh MP for Slough in the UK, said in a tweet that he was “saddened by this from extremists in Pakistan (western) Punjab, specially as Maharaja Ranjit Singh was no foreign invader, but fellow Punjabi whose court was run by Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, and who donated to building their shrines.”

Meanwhile India’s external affairs ministry said that the incident shows that there is growing lack of tolerance and respect for minority groups in Pakistan. 

“Such attacks on the cultural heritage of minority communities in Pakistan highlight the growing intolerance and lack of respect for minority communities in Pakistani society,” said Indian spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. “Incidents of violence against minority communities, including attacks on their places of worship, their cultural heritage, as well as their private property, are increasing at an alarming rate.”

Pakistan’s Foreign Office responded to the accusations via Twitter:

“We categorically reject Indian MEA’s gratuitous & unwarranted remarks on an incident involving the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Lahore. A mature state would have appreciated the immediate arrest of the accused against whom strict legal action has already been initiated. 1/3

“The govt., legislature, judiciary, civil society &media in Pakistan have always worked for ensuring constitutional protections for members of minorities as equal citizens &their places of worship, whereas in India incidents against minorities take place with state complicity. 2/3

“Rather than feigning concern for minorities elsewhere, India should seriously introspect,  move away from entrenched anti-minority mindset being destructively spawned by the RSS-BJP regime, and discard state-sponsored discriminatory policies. 3/3