3 min readKolkataJul 5, 2026 02:24 PM IST
First published on: Jul 5, 2026 at 02:24 PM IST
The pedestal of a newly installed statue of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee was desecrated on Sukiya Street in North Kolkata early Sunday morning. The incident occurred just hours before Union Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to arrive in the city to lead grand, historic celebrations marking Mookerjee’s 125th birth anniversary.
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) of North Kolkata recently installed two busts, one of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and another of Gopal Mookerjee, on APC Road near Sukiya Street, under the Beliaghata Assembly constituency. The statues were scheduled for a formal unveiling on Monday evening to mark the anniversary.
Local party workers discovered the vandalism during the early hours of Sunday. “We suddenly noticed that someone had broken the pedestal of the statue. While the upper portion of the statue remains intact, the lower pedestal has been smashed,” said Soumyadeep Raychaudhuri, vice president of the North Kolkata BJP Yuva Morcha.
Raychaudhuri condemned the act, calling it “deeply unfortunate” and stating that “no sane-minded individual could commit such an act”. While local BJP leaders pointed fingers at the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the state police quickly intervened to defuse tensions.
Acting swiftly on a complaint lodged at the Amherst Street police station by BJYM worker Saumyajit Roy Chowdhury, 23, the Kolkata police arrested one suspect, identified as Rupesh Hazra, 26, from Narkeldanga.
The police also registered a case under charges of deliberate intent to wound religious feelings, mischief, and criminal conspiracy.
“As per the complaint, at about 1.30 am, the accused along with his associates entered into a criminal conspiracy and committed mischief by destroying the cemented nameplate held sacred by the group, intending to insult their sentiments,” a senior Kolkata police officer said.
The police confirmed that broken tiles and pieces of the shattered cemented nameplate were seized from the spot. “Investigation of the case is in progress. CCTV footage from the surrounding area is currently being reviewed,” said Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Kunal Agarwal.
Several commemorative programmes
The incident comes at a historic juncture for West Bengal’s political landscape. This marks the first time Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s birth anniversary is being celebrated in the state as the new BJP government declared July 6 a holiday.
The Bengal BJP has organised large-scale commemorative programmes across the state. The state BJP headquarters at Muralidhar Lane has been heavily decorated, with Amit Shah set to lead the main event alongside top state leadership.
A bust of Jana Sangh leader Syama Prasad Mookerjee was vandalised in Kolkata in 2018 as well (File photo), 
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