Statue of former Odisha CM Biju Patnaik torched in Patnagarh, probe launched

Patnagarh: A statue of former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik was allegedly set on fire by unidentified individuals Tuesday morning at Block Chowk in Patnagarh Notified Area Council (NAC) of Odisha’s Bolangir district, a source said.

Following the incident, sanitation workers from the Patnagarh NAC began cleanup efforts. Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The source said the incident follows earlier opposition to the installation of the statue at the site. When former Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Saroj Kumar Meher attempted to install the statue, members of Brahmin community objected.

In protest, the community held a month-long sit-in, demanding that a statue of Lord Parashurama — the sixth of the ten avatars of the Hindu god Vishnu — be installed at the location instead.

Eventually, under administrative orders, the statue of Biju Patnaik was installed but kept covered with polythene.

PNN

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