Two youths from Pandrahalli, a village in Chitradurga taluk, have been arrested by the Shivamogga police on the charge of vandalising the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Holehonnur, leaving their parents and residents of the village in a state of shock. The family members of the accused and the people condemn the act in strong words, while they believe that the two committed the act under the influence of alcohol. They want illegal liquor shops in the village shifted out.
“Mahatma Gandhi is the father of our nation. Nobody should do what my son has done. I believe he did so under the influence of alcohol,” said P.S. Parameshwarappa, father of Vinay Kumar P.P., 26, one of the accused. Similarly, S. Naganna, father of another accused, Ganesh N., 25, said, “How could we even guess that our children would commit such a crime? If they had confided in us about the incident, we would have made them surrender well before the police could reach the village.” Ganesh was supposed to celebrate his birthday on Friday.
The two left the village on August 20 on the bike that belonged to Ganesh for a ride to Jog in Shivamogga district. On the way, they consumed alcohol and vandalised the statue at Holehonnur in Bhadravati taluk. They returned the next day by 9.30 a.m. By then, the incident had prompted protests in Holehonnur. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also posted on X, terming it an act of “anti-nationals.” The police tracked them down to Pandrahalli on August 24. They have been remanded in judicial custody. Both have studied diploma courses and worked in the agricultural fields with their parents.
“My son has been under treatment for the last three months. The doctors in a private hospital in Mangaluru, where he was admitted, insisted that he give up consuming alcohol,” said Mr. Parameshwarappa. “He had not gone out for many days. He left home on August 20, without informing me, and this happened.”
Battle against bottle
In fact, the father had been fighting against liquor shops in his village. “Before the Assembly elections, I, along with a few villagers, met officers of the Excise Department in Chitradurga and appealed to them to close illegal liquor shops in the village. The shops remained closed only for a few days, but are doing business as usual now,” he urged.
They were part of the team in the village that installed the Ganesha idol every year. This year, they wanted to bring in a DJ set for Ganesha celebrations. On that day, around 20 people from the village visited Chitradurga to place an order for the set. While the rest returned, the two accused went on the bike ride.
“These two boys were not under the influence of any organisation. And they had no intention of insulting Mahatma Gandhi. It seems it happened under the influence of alcohol. The police are doing their duty. The youth should know what is right and wrong,” said Shekharappa, an elderly citizen of the village.
