Tamil Nadu: CRPF jawan arrested for vandalising Periyar statue in Pudukkottai, claims he was drunk

A CRPF jawan was arrested by the police for vandalising the statue of social reformer and Dravidian ideologue ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district, according to media reports. The jawan later claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol.

#BREAKING -- CRPF jawan held for allegedly vandalising Periyar statue in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu pic.twitter.com/fXkQmon21H

— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 21, 2018

The head of the statue was torn apart on Tuesday, hours after which police and other authorities worked to repair it,  India Today reported. Security was also heightened in the area to avoid untoward incidents.

Tamil Nadu: Periyar statue being reinstated in Pudukkottai, the statue was earlier which vandalised by unidentified persons. Case has been registered and investigation is on. pic.twitter.com/mUsmT9qWEs

— ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2018

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The incident assumed political significance as it came after senior BJP leader H Raja indicated that statues of the rationalist leader could be the next to be pulled down after a statue of Communist icon Lenin was razed by suspected BJP workers in Tripura. After coming under fire from political parties for his comments on Periyar, Raja had sought to blame his “Facebook administrator” for the gaffe and had expressed regret over the same. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also strongly condemned the incidents of vandalism of statues across the country and said that stern action would be taken against those found guilty. With inputs from PTI