Bengal govt to replace vandalised Vidyasagar bust on June 11

Almost a month after the vandalising of the statue of Bengali polymath Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during the BJP President Amit Shah's road show in the state capital, the West Bengal government has decided to replace the bust as a symbolic gesture on June 11 at the college named after the social reformer.

The state government has chalked out a plan to celebrate Vidyasagar's bicentenary in a grand way in the coming months and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would attend all the major programmes relating to the celebrations, including next week's bust unveiling ceremony.

"We will replace the vandalised bust of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar as a symbolic gesture on June 11. We have ordered much larger bronze statues - a bust and a full length," Banerjee said here.

Incidentally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also promised a "grand statue" of the 19th century reformer Vidyasagar to be installed at the same spot where his bust was vandalised in city.

An iconic figure of the Bengal Renaissance, Vidyasagar became a poll issue following the vandalism of his statue during BJP President Amit Shah's roadshow here.

Accusing the Trinamool of orchestrating the attack on Shah during his roadshow, the BJP held state's ruling party responsible for the bust vandalisation, while Banerjee had organised a massive protest rally on the issue, alleging it to be the handiwork of saffron party supporters.

Banerjee also said: "We will wholly develop Vidyasagar College and will do it beautifully. We will do up the museum as well."

According to her, a committee headed by the state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has been working on the bicentenary celebrations of Vidyasagar starting in September.

She further said that a statue of Rabindra Nath Tagore would be set up at the Presidency University and one of Asutosh Mukherjee at the College Street campus of Calcutta University.