Pak man caught in Raj also vandalised Maharaja Ranjit Singh statue in Lahore

The nine-foot cold bronze statue was unveiled in 2019 to mark the 180th death anniversary of the Maharaja. Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire

JAIPUR: The Pakistani national caught past midnight of July 16 near the Indo-Pak border soon after he sneaked into the country was also responsible for vandalising a life-size statute of Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Pakistan’s Lahore Fort last year, a senior police officer said citing his interrogation.

Rizwan Ashraf is a member of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a far-right Islamic group in Pakistan that has been blamed for repeatedly targeting the statute (File Photo)

Sriganganagar superintendent of police (SP) Anand Sharma said the Pakistani national, Rizwan Ashraf, was arrested and jailed in August 2021 for vandalising the bronze statue. Sharma said Ashraf is a member of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik, a far-right Islamic group in Pakistan that has been blamed for repeatedly targeting the statute.

The nine-foot cold bronze statue was unveiled in 2019 to mark the 180th death anniversary of the Maharaja. Singh, the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, ruled over Punjab for close to 40 years. He died in 1839.

In the third attack on the statute in August that provoked a sharp reaction from New Delhi, its arm was broken and the bust dismantled from the horse. According to reports in Pakistani media, it was restored by Lahore’s Fakir Khana Museum in April this year.

Ashraf, who was intercepted by the Border Security Force past around July 16 midnight near the border, earlier told interrogators that he allegedly wanted to kill Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nupur Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammed.

A bag in Ashraf’s possession contained two knives, religious books, food and clothes, he added. Ashraf was arrested for offences under the Foreigners Act, Indian Passport Act and Arms Act.