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Ravana effigy gutted two hours before schedule in Gurdaspur
The Ravana effigy caught fire suddenly even though there was no one in sight and tight security was in place. Left red-faced, the organisers termed it as a “mischief” by anti-social elements.
In a big disappointment to spectators and organisers, the Ravana effigy at the main Dussehra venue in Gurdaspur town was gutted two hours before the scheduled time.
The effigy had been installed at the Government College sports stadium here.
It caught fire suddenly even though there was no one in sight and tight security was in place. Left red-faced, the organisers termed it as a “mischief” by anti-social elements.
Police officials said, “Since there was no person near the effigy when it went up in flames, it is possible that it may have caught fire from a burning incense stick. We are, however, carrying out a probe.”
Gurdaspur MLA Barindermeet Singh Pahra, who was the chief guest at the event, too termed it a mischief by miscreants and urged the district administration bring the culprits to book.
Two similar incidents also came fore from Chandigarh and Dera Bassi.
In Chandigarh, some miscreants set ablaze an 80-foot-tall effigy of Ravana’s brother Meghnad a night before Dussehra. In Dera Bassi too, unknown persons managed to set Ravana’s disassembled effigy on fire at the Ramleela ground at 12.45 am on Wednesday. However, the people on site managed to douse the flames within seconds, and salvage the effigy.
