Protesters block highway as Gandhi statue vandalised in S'mogga town

SHIVAMOGGA: A Mahatma Gandhi statue in Holehonnur town of Shivamogga district was vandalised and damaged early Monday, and protesters blocked the state highway connecting Shivamogga and Chitradurga district.
The statue (in pic) was installed in the town, about 20km from here and 290km from Bengaluru, decades ago. Chief minister Siddaramaiah called the incident an anti-national act and said those who do not respect India's freedom struggle, the Constitution and respect the law, indulge in such disruptive acts.He said police will book culprits and asked people to maintain peace.
Locals claimed a few bikers were in the town between 1am and 2am, and the incident came to light around 5am Monday. Last week, Independence Day was celebrated at the very spot.
After villagers' alert, Holehonnur police rushed to the spot, besides summoning a dog squad and fingerprint experts to expedite investigation into the incident. The damaged statue has now been placed on a pedestal inside a mantap, which is covered by tarpaulin.
Shivamogga MP BY Raghavendra instructed cops to nab the accused immediately. He told agitators that a new statue will be installed at the same spot shortly. Shivamogga SP GK Mithun Kumar has formed three teams to nab the accused.