The removal of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the the tea town of Doomdooma in Assam had lead to a massive controversy with student leaders protesting the sudden removal. Two days ago, the 5.5 foot statue of Mahatma Gandhi, placed at the town’s Gandhi Chowk in Tinsukia district, was removed by an excavator, triggered widespread backlash. 

However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that he was not aware of the decision to remove the statue. “I am not aware of this decision taken by the district administration. Let me verify the facts. Assam owes so much to Mahatma Gandhi. He stood firmly with Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi when the Congress party led by Nehru wanted to include Assam in Pakistan under the Grouping Plan,” he said.

The prominent All Assam Student Union (AASU) launched protests alleging that Gandhi’s statue was removed to build a clock tower. “When we met the municipal board and the town committee, they told us they have a plan to build clock tower but our question is why the civil society here was not taken into confidence before taking the decision to uproot the Gandhi statue?” said Pritam Neog, an AASU leader. 

Earlier, Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, had attacked the BJP government in Assam over the statue’s removal. “Not surprising that the BJP Government in Assam decided to replace Bapu’s statue with a clock tower in Dibrugarh,” he said.

“We don’t oppose any city beautification project but it cannot be at the cost of Gandhi’s statue. We won’t allow it. They have to keep the statue and build a clock tower,” Congress leader and former MLA Durga Bhumij said.

Responding to concerns, BJP MLA from Doomdooma Rupesh Gowala said that a new statue was being created and would be placed at the original site within six months. The new state would be a foot taller and would be placed next to a clock tower. 

“Is it good for Doomdooma town to have a old broken statue of Gandhi ji? We removed it to replace with a taller and better statue and also to beautify the area around it but some people are trying to create a controversy and do politics over it,” he said.