Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Statue Vandalised For Third Time In Pakistan; Suspected TLP Worker Held

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> In yet another shameful incident, a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was vandalised allegedly by members of a banned radical group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan in Lahore on Tuesday.</p> <p>Pakistan's information &amp; Broadcasting minister Fawad Hussain shared a video showing miscreants pulling down Maharaja Ranjit Singh's statue at the Lahore Fort.</p> <p>"Shameful this bunch of illiterates are really dangerous for Pakistan image in the world," the minister tweeted while sharing the video.</p> <p>[tw]https://twitter.com/fawadchaudhry/status/1427526071306661888[/tw]</p> <p>The first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled over Punjab for over 40 years before he died in 1839. His statue located at the Lahore Fort in Pakistan had previously been vandalized by TLP workers on at least two different occasions in the past. This is the third time that the Maharaja's statue has been vandalised.</p> <p>The nine-feet statue, made of cold bronze, was unveiled at the Lahore Fort in June 2019 to mark the 180th death anniversary of the Maharaja. The statue shows the regal Maharaja Ranjit Singh sitting on a horse, sword in hand, complete in Sikh attire.</p> <p>According to reports, the police have arrested one person in connection with the incident. The suspect allegedly belonged to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)</p> <p>Founded by Khadim Hussain Rizvi in 2015, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan is a Islamist political party in Pakistan. It emerged as the fifth largest party in the 2018 general polls in Pakistan however failed to win any seat in National Assembly.&nbsp;</p>