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Raniganj (Bengal): In a meticulously planned operation carried out in the dead of night, unidentified miscreants cordoned off an area, switched off the streetlights, and smeared mud over CCTV cameras to disable surveillance before removing a full-length stone statue of Rahul Sankrityayan.

The incident took place in Bengal’s Raniganj, on July 12.

Sankrityayan was a renowned freedom fighter, Marxist ideologue, and pioneering advocate of the scientific interpretation of history. This statue, located at the Raniganj crossroads, near the National Highway 19 flyover was reportedly lifted away with the help of a crane. The concrete pedestal on which it stood was completely demolished. The site is now in ruins.

This incident triggered widespread outrage and serious questions about the apparent planning, execution, and security lapses surrounding the act of vandalism. Members of the region’s progressive, literary, and cultural circles came out in protest, demanding that those responsible for the vandalism and removal of the statue be identified and brought to justice.

The area where the Rahul Sankrityayan statue stood. Photo: Madhu Sudan Chatterjee.

A statue as a political target

Across Bengal, a disturbing pattern of attacks on public icons has emerged in the wake of the state’s political transition. In Jiaganj, Murshidabad, the statue of Vladimir Lenin – an enduring symbol of the global communist movement – was vandalised. In May, the month in which BJP came to power, statues of Sidhu-Kanhu – the legendary leaders of the Santhal Rebellion – were vandalised in Dakshin Dinajpur. At Vidyasagar University in Medinipur, portraits of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Rabindranath Tagore were trampled upon and destroyed. In Asansol ward number 105, attempts were made to vandalise the statues of two former Congress prime ministers of India, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

In each of these incidents, allegations were raised that workers of ruling BJP in the state were involved. Every episode triggered widespread public outrage and protests. So far police investigations have not made........

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