A statue of Lord Buddha was vandalised by unidentified men in Rayagada district, Odisha.

The incident came to light on Monday morning when the villagers discovered the disfigured statue lying on the road. The incident occurred at Tamparguda village under Chandili police station in Rayagada, about 500km from Bhubaneswar.

The statue had been installed on Sunday evening.

The locals have filed a police complaint, and an FIR has been lodged by the Bhagat Singh Association to this effect.

Advocate Abhi Palak, a member of the association, said: “Lord Buddha is the icon of peace. As a part of the Buddha Purnima celebration on Monday, we installed a three-foot statue on Sunday evening at the hilltop of our village. Sound systems were also arranged. However, a group of people vandalised the statue.”

He added: “The actions were not spontaneous but planned with the intent of insulting religious beliefs, disturbing social harmony, and undermining the peaceful observance of a sacred day.”

In the FIR, Palak had named seven suspects involved in the crime.

“They have not only vandalised the statue but have also looted a one-foot bronze statue from the site. They have also taken away the sound systems,” he said.

President of the Bahujan Samaj Party’s Rayagada district unit, Jitu Jakesika, said: “We will protest if the police fail to initiate any action against the crime and arrest those involved in it.”

Meanwhile, Chandili police on Monday afternoon reached the spot and launched a probe into the matter.

Congress leader Amiya Pandav, also a social activist, alleged that attempts to insult great leaders, sons of the soil, among others, were increasingly frequent in the state and warned that the Congress would not tolerate such acts.