‘Vandalised’ Nehru statue in Assam restored, Cachar authorities say

The authorities in southern Assam’s Cachar district said on Thursday (February 26, 2026), that a “vandalised” statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has been restored.

In a letter to District Commissioner Ayush Garg on Wednesday (February 25, 2026), Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev sought an inquiry into the alleged dismantling of the Nehru statue at Pailapool Chowrangi in Lakhipur town. She represents the Trinamool Congress from West Bengal but is a resident of Silchar, the Cachar district headquarters.

Referring to video footage, she said the statue was uprooted late at night on February 23 with an excavator. She termed the incident a “national shame” and said destruction of public property was a criminal offence.

“Merely reinstalling the statue without conducting a thorough investigation and prosecuting those responsible would embolden future acts of vandalism,” she said, highlighting Cachar’s tradition of honouring leaders across party lines.

A senior district officer, declining to be quoted, told The Hindu that the statue in question has been “duly restored” and the police were undertaking an investigation after registering a first information report.