A seven-foot Bronze statue of freedom fighter Alluri Seetharama Raju was unveiled at Naaz Centre here by veteran cine director K. Viswanath on his 118th birth anniversary.
The statue has been erected by a committee consisting of former MLC K.S. Lakshmana Rao, industrialist P. Ramachandra Raju and others.
Lauding the efforts of the committee in installing the statue, Mr. Viswanath said that the statue was a telling symbol of sacrifices made by Seetharama Raju. He said that statues of freedom fighters should be erected at prominent places in the town.
District Collector Kantilal Dande said that Seetharama Raju took on the mighty British without using weapons.
Guntur East MLA Sk. Mustafa, Chamber of Commerce president Atukuri Anjaneyulu and District Tribal Welfare Officer Vijay Kumar, Tehsildar Sivanarayana Murthy were present.
Later, addressing a meeting organised by the District Tribal Welfare Department, Mr. Dande said that the heroic struggle waged by Seetharama Raju was an inspiration to the present generation.
Later, he gave away gifts to meritorious students who had passed out from tribal hostels.
