Pune: A man, believed to be mentally unstable, was apprehended by police late Sunday night after allegedly attempting to desecrate a statue of Mahatma Gandhi located at the Pune railway station. The individual, identified as Suraj Shukla from Uttar Pradesh, was caught by bystanders immediately after the incident and handed over to authorities, who subsequently placed him under arrest.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Milind Mohite stated that Shukla was observed with a billhook, a sharp tool, which he was attempting to use on the statue. "The man, who looks mentally unstable, had a billhook in his hand and was attempting to desecrate the statue using the sharp tool," Mohite confirmed. A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigation is underway.

The incident drew swift condemnation from political figures. Congress city unit president Arvind Shinde alleged that the man had climbed the statue's pedestal in his attempt to desecrate it. Shinde strongly condemned the act and announced that Congress workers would provide security to the statue and stage a protest on Monday to express their outrage.

With inputs from PTI