The Conrad Sangma government in Meghalaya has decided to restore the statues of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda, which were vandalised during a Khasi Student Union rally in Shillong on August 19.
The statues at RR Colony, Umpling, will be restored, Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai said on Tuesday. She added that her department will take up renovation of both statues.
Condemning the incident, the minister said that protests must remain peaceful and that violence has a negative impact on the state's growth.
"We, as a civilised society, should ensure that any form of protest should be peaceful in nature as the impact of any damage incurred by violence has long-standing negative effect upon the growth and development of the state," he said.
Expressing deep regret over the vandalism, he urged students and youth to learn from the philosophies of the two national icons.
