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Statue of Mahatma Gandhi found vandalised in Odisha school; probe on

Balasore (Odisha): A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was found vandalised inside the premises of a government-run school in Sovarampur area in Odisha’s Balasore town, police said on Monday.

A room christened ‘Bapuji Kakhya’ in the school as a mark of honour to the ‘father of the nation’ was also found ransacked, with cigarette butts and empty liquor bottles strewn around, a police officer said.

The matter came to light when some locals entered the school premises on Sunday, after noticing that a couple of trees planted inside the compound had been felled, he said. Upon entering the compound, they found the room open and the head of the statue lying on the ground, the officer said.

The incident is suspected to have taken place on June 14, and could be the handiwork of some anti-social elements as the upper primary school was shut for the summer vacation, Inspector In-Charge of Sahadevkhunta Police Station, Subhransu Sekhar Nayak said. Nayak, however, ruled out any political angle to the episode.

A case has been registered and the investigation is in progress to identify those involved in the incident, he added.