Government orders probe

 

The government has ordered an investigation into the incident in Batticaloa where statues of Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi and Britain’s Robert Baden-Powell had been vandalized.

A statement by the External Affairs Ministry today said that the Inspector General of Police has been instructed to carryout an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents to identify motives and culprits behind these acts of vandalism.

“It has been brought to the notice of the Ministry of External Affairs that several important statues in the Batticaloa town have been vandalized yesterday. Inspector General of Police has been instructed to carryout an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents to identify motives and culprits behind these acts of vandalism,” the External Affairs Ministry said.

Attackers beheaded the statues of Gandhi and Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout movement.

There was no claim of responsibility for the destruction.

The police said two other statues of local figures had also been destroyed in what appeared to have been a coordinated attack carried out overnight in Batticaloa.