Police personnel and labourers remove the metal throne placed for Maharaj Agrasen’s statue from the top of a traffic post near Lalpur Chowk in Ranchi on Monday. Picture by Manik Bose

Ranchi, June 9: A rift over installation of a statue sparked tension at Lalpur Chowk today.

Ignoring the direction of the state urban development department, mayor of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation Rama Khalkho, restrained Agrawal Sabha from installing the statue of Maharaj Agrasen at Lalpur Chowk today.

The incident took place around 11am when workers deputed by the Agrawal Sabha were busy placing a heavy metal throne on the top of a traffic post at Lalpur Chowk to install the statue of Maharaj Agrasen. Its inauguration was to take place on Wednesday.

Though members of the Agrawal Sabha, who were present on the site, showed relevant documents to police officials deployed there on Khalkho’s direction, they were not allowed to proceed with the installation.

The members said that the police were violating the order of a larger wing of the state government but it had no effect on them.

Police officials shifted the throne from the top of the traffic post and placed it on the premises of a petrol pump. They threatened Agrawal Sabha workers of dire consequences if another attempt to install the statue at Lalpur Chowk was made.

Khalkho said she had taken action on the request of local residents.

“Residents were not in favour of installing the statue of someone who was not associated with Jharkhand. They wanted a statue of local icon at Lalpur Chowk. They approached me with a written request and I asked the police to take necessary steps in this direction. I do not know about the directions from the urban development department as I have joined office only a few months ago,” she said.

Khalkho had directed Avinash Kumar, the deputy commissioner of the district, to probe into the matter.

“We will take steps as soon as we receive inquiry reports. I have asked the deputy commissioner to probe the claim made by the Agrawal Sabha,” she said.

However, an executive committee member of the All India Agrasen Samaj, Ranjeet Tibrewal, has taken a strong exception to this incident.

“Khalkho has done undemocratic work following a letter written by those who do not have any existence in the society. She is trying to create a rift in the society through her post and influence,” he said.

He added that Agrasen is a national figure and his statue has been installed at over 200 round-a-bouts across the country. “The post and the telegraph department printed stamps as a tribute to Agrasen. His picture has also been placed in the Parliament,” he said.