India, July 19 -- The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Saturday strongly condemned the destruction of a statue of Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan at Raniganj in West Bengal, describing the incident as an attack on India's progressive and democratic heritage.

In a statement issued on Saturday, CPI General Secretary D. Raja termed the vandalism a "reprehensible act of political and ideological vandalism" targeting one of India's leading scholars, freedom fighters, Marxist thinkers and public intellectuals.

The party noted that Rahul Sankrityayan was not only a renowned literary figure but also a prominent leader of the CPI. It highlighted that he had served as the National President of the All India Kisan Sabha in 1940 and had dedicated hi...