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Be alert to Operation ‘Dhakka’: on the toppling of the Lenin statue
Context:
The toppling of the Lenin statue in Tripura
What has happened?
- On March 5th 2018, saffron-sporting men felled the statue of Lenin- the Russian communist revolutionary
- A second Lenin statue was similarly toppled at another site in the State shortly thereafter
- Syama Prasad Mookerjee and BR Ambedkar’s statues were defaced in Kolkata and Meerut 7th March
- What has been the government response?
- The Prime Minister has condemned the spate of statue vandalism in the country
- The home ministry sent out an advisory to states asking them to prevent such attacks.
- The new Chief Minister of Tripura has also condemned the act of toppling Lenin statue.
Demolitions in the past:
- The Babri Masjid, Ayodhya, December 6, 1992.
- The Wali Dakhani Mazaar, Ahmadabad, March 1, 2002.
- An estimated 272 minority shrines in Gujarat over six days thereafter.
- St. Sebastian’s Church, Dilshad Bagh, Delhi, Christmas Eve, 2014.
Conclusion:
The toppling of the Lenin statue in Tripura and similar other statue vandalism across India is a reminder of the grave danger to Indian democracy
