Lahore [Pakistan], December 13 (ANI): For a second time in two years the statue of former Sikh ruler Raja Ranjit Singh, located near his grave at Lahore's Royal Fort, has been vandalized.

According to a report by The News International, the fort's security guard claimed that a man jumped over the barrier to reach Singh's statue and broke the arm of the Maharaja's statue.

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He was later held by the security guards and handed over to the police.

The accused, hailing from Lahore's Harbanspura, had reportedly exclaimed, "why has the statue been installed in the fort" before vandalising the statue.

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Last year, the statue was vandalised by two miscreants at Shahi Qila.

One of the two men pretended to have a disability and carried a wooden stick in order to support himself. The other person allegedly helped him walk into the fort when it was routinely opened for visitors on a Saturday.

The two went straight up to the statue and started attacking it. One of the sculpture's arms were amongst the parts which sustained damage.

They were immediately captured by the security guards and handed over to the police. They could also be heard chanting slogans against the former ruler of Punjab.

The nine-foot-tall structure in cold bronze was unveiled at the Lahore Fort on June 27 to mark the former ruler's 180th death anniversary. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)