Ex-minister Shardanand Anchal's statue vandalised in Ballia

Ballia (UP): A statue of former minister and senior Samajwadi Party leader Shardanand Anchal was vandalised by miscreants in Rampur Chit village here, police said on Thursday.

The life-size statue, which was installed by former village head Krishna Yadav in 2013, was damaged and the head of the statue was severed.

The incident led to an uproar among supporters of the Samajwadi Party.

SP leaders, including former minister Ambika Chaudhary, SP MLA from Phephana, Sangram Singh Yadav, and SP MLA from Bairia Jai Prakash Anchal, went to the spot.

The police were alerted after Krishna Yadav, the former village head, reported the incident late Wednesday night.

Station House Officer (SHO) Prashant Kumar Chaudhary said a case had been filed against unknown individuals, following a complaint from Krishna Yadav.

To maintain peace, the police have deployed additional forces at the location, and the broken statue has been covered with a cloth.