Uddhav Thackeray said Rahul Gandhi was among those who insulted Veer Savarkar (File)

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said those who did not respect Vinayak Damodar Savarkar must be thrashed publicly. He made the remark a day after the student wing of the Congress said it blackened Veer Savarkar's bust at the Delhi University.

Mr Thackeray said thrashing those who insulted Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, a revered figure in Maharashtra, would make them understand the value of freedom.

"Those who do not respect Savarkar should be once thrashed publicly in squares. Till then they will not realise who had toiled to what extent to attain freedom for the country," Mr Thackeray told reporters.

"These people, who insulted Savarkar -- whom Rahul Gandhi too had insulted -- will not understand the value of freedom till then," he added.

The Congress-affiliated NSUI on Thursday said it blackened the bust of Mr Savarkar while garlanding those of Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose.

The Delhi University Students' Union had installed these busts outside the Arts Faculty building on Tuesday.

The NSUI and the Left-backed All India Students' Association had criticised the move, saying Veer Savarkar cannot be kept on the same pedestal.