AHMEDABAD: The streak of vandalism hitting statues in some parts of the country has touched Gujarat. A statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel , the first deputy Prime Minister of India , was garlanded with empty soft-drink bottles at a library in Shertha village of Gandhinagar on Wednesday. The statue had been unveiled by former deputy PM and BJP veteran L K Advani in October, 1992 — two months prior to the demolition of Babri Mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Adalaj police have registered an FIR and have initiated an investigation.

According to police, some villagers spotted the garland on the statue and pictures taken subsequently went viral. The villagers later removed the garland and washed the statue. The manager of the library, Hasmukh Patel, approached Adalaj police station and filed a complaint.

Adalaj police inspector J G Vaghela, said: “We have sought CCTV footage from a bank which is in front of the library to identify the persons involved in this case.” Two home guard jawans and a police constable have been stationed near the statue, Vaghela said.

Mayank Chavda, DIG, Gandhinagar range, said that the matter has been taken seriously and the accused persons will be booked shortly. Vandalism of statues began in Tripura after Lenin’s statue was brought following the BJP’s victory in the state. Then two statues of Ambedkar were defiled in Uttar Pradesh. A statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Jan Sangh; and one of the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru were vandalized. Two statues of Tamil Nadu reformer Periyar Ramasamy, popularly known as Periyar, were vandalized in Tamil Nadu.

