File FIR against memorial vandals

Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale on Wednesday asked the civic administration to file an FIR against those responsible for vandalising Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial near Azad Maidan in the August 11 riots.

Standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale on Wednesday asked the civic administration to file an FIR against those responsible for vandalising Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial near Azad Maidan in the August 11 riots.

Reconstructing the 1857 memorial has caused the BMC some money. We should recover the costs from those who have damaged it, Shewale told the standing committee meeting.

The Shiv Sena corporator also wrote to Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte,demanding that the losses incurred in repairs be paid for by the Raza Academy,which had called for the protest that turned violent.

On August 13,Mayor and Shiv Sena corporator Sunil Prabhu had declared that the civic body will restore the damaged structure in time for Independence Day celebrations. Prabhu had estimated the cost at around Rs 2 lakh.

The 400-sq ft memorial consists of a cannon,stone wall and a rifle enclosed in a fibreglass. It was built in 2009 at a cost of Rs 25 lakh in the memory of Sayyed Hussain and Mangal Gadiya,who were gunned down at Esplanade (now Azad Maidan) for the 1857 revolt.

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