Kolkata, July 5 (IANS) A day before the arrival of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to participate in the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, a bust of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder was vandalised in Kolkata, said the police on Sunday.

According to the police, the lower part of the altar was found broken on Sukea Street in central Kolkata.

The bust was installed in the Sukea Street area in view of the birth anniversary celebrations of the Jana Sangh founder. It was scheduled to be inaugurated on Monday by state BJP leaders.

The name plaque was also installed on the altar, and the work was completed Saturday night. However, on Sunday morning, it was found to be damaged.

The police have started investigating the incident. A senior Kolkata Police officer said the incident took place after midnight.

The CCTV footage from the area is being examined to identify the miscreants who were behind this act, the police said.

The BJP has strongly condemned the incident. The Bharatiya Yuva Morcha has filed a complaint at Amherst Police Station regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to arrive in Kolkata for a brief visit on Monday to take part in the birth anniversary celebrations of Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

The BJP government has already declared July 6 as a state holiday to mark the occasion.

According to the BJP, the Union Home Minister will arrive at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 3:50 p.m. on Monday. From the airport, he will go straight to Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s house in Bhowanipore of south Kolkata. After garlanding Syama Prasad’s statue there, he will reach Eco Park in New Town at 4:50 p.m. There, he will lay the foundation stone of Syama Prasad’s 125-foot statue.

HM Shah will be accompanied by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya. Then, at 5:30 p.m., the Union Home Minister will join the celebration of Syama Prasad’s birth anniversary at the Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan. He will return to Delhi after the event ends.

Meanwhile, several other programmes have been organised by the BJP for Monday at the party’s state office at Muralidhar Sen Lane in central Kolkata.

BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya said, “This is a matter of great joy for every BJP worker. It is a significant day for the workers of West Bengal, for those who have joined the BJP lately and those who have been associated with our ideology. The country’s Home Minister is coming to join us in the celebrations on July 6. This is undoubtedly a historic moment.”

–IANS

sch/dpb