Team Herald
VALPOI: Members of the ‘Shiv Premi’ group on Monday submitted a memorandum to Valpoi Municipal Council (VMC) chairperson Ramdas Shirodkar against removing the statue installed at the Valpoi junction, claiming that it is a symbol of unity.
Gaurish Gawas of Shiv Premi said, “On February 18, some individuals behaved with mala fide intentions and destroyed the banner of Shivaji Maharaj. They further tried to divide people on the basis of religion.”
Another Shiv Premi member Vishwaraj Sawant said, “The idol installed at the junction shows that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj still belongs to the people of India and that all people are against the thinking of a few individuals, who want to divide us in the name of religion and caste.”
Around 50 Shiv Premi members were present.
It may be recalled that tension gripped Valpoi town on February 18 when the group allegedly tried to install a statue of Shivaji in the area. Police had said that the two groups were protesting against each other along the road at midnight, creating tension in the town.
