Tensions soared in the Mainpuri Lok Sabha constituency barely 48 hours before polling following registration of an FIR against over 100 Samajwadi Party workers who allegedly vandalised the memorial of Maharana Pratap, a national hero, and tampered with his statue on Saturday evening.

Following the incident, protests broke out in the area with irate people holding demonstrations at Maharana Pratap Chowk on Sunday morning and demanding the arrest of the SP’s Lok Sabha in-charge and Legislative Assembly in-charge along with other SP leaders.

On Saturday, SP President Akhilesh Yadav held a road show in Mainpuri in support of his wife and party’s candidate Dimple Yadav. During the road show, SP workers reportedly raised indecent slogans at the Maharana Pratap Chowk.

After the road show, they climbed the statue of Maharana Pratap, the national hero who fought for Swadesh and Swadharma, damaging the statue. As a result of the incidence the spear of Maharana Pratap’s statue got bent while the SP flag was planted in its hand.

Not only this, the SP workers allegedly abused the state chief minister and the prime minister. There is anger among the people of the entire state over the disrespect to the statue of national hero Maharana Pratap.

Condemning the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the SP and Congress cannot be expected to respect national leaders. In a statement, he said these people (the SP and Congress) patronise, encourage, glorify mafia, rioters and terrorist elements and on the other hand, insult national leaders. He recalled that after coming to power in 2012, the SP tried to withdraw the cases of terrorists who attacked Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Sankatmochan Temple in Kashi, Lucknow courts as well as the CRPF camp in Rampur.

The chief minister further said, “Recently, when a notorious mafia don died, the Akhilesh Yadav visited his house with a condolence message. How did he behave with devotees of Ram during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Ayodhya? This is not confined to the Samajwadi Party, Congress too shares the same disrespect for the national heroes. Rahul Gandhi refused to take a statue of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj in Maharashtra when a supporter offered him in Maharashtra.”

Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured that the culprits won’t be spared under any circumstances.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, the police have registered a case against 90 to 100 SP workers and leaders under Sections 147, 188, 295-A, 504 and 171H of the IPC.

On Friday last, during a roadshow, Yogi Adityanath paid floral tributes to Maharana Pratap at his statue.

Meanwhile, Social media users demanded a public apology from Akhilesh Yadav for the incident. A video juxtaposing the visuals of CM Yogi paying floral tributes to the hero at his statue and that of the desecration of the statue by SP workers is being shared widely on the Internet.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Shivpal Singh Yadav said the police picked up about 40 people without any reason. Alleging pressure on the police from the government to register a case against the SP workers, he said since the people do not want to vote for them they were resorting to immoral tactics.

Yadav informed that a SP delegation would visit the Election Commission in Delhi and Lucknow and register an objection against the UP government in this regard.