Be alert to Operation ‘Dhakka’: on the toppling of the Lenin statue

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