Ambedkar statues vandalised in U.P.

Hasnapur village and its adjoining area in Unnao district and Chandpur village in Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh remained on edge on Wednesday after statues of B.R. Ambedkar were vandalised by miscreants on the intervening night.

Villagers, mostly Dalits, held a sit-in protest at both sites on Wednesday demanding action against the culprits. The administration, in a bid to pacify the protesters, has installed new statues in both places.

“The statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar Ji has been vandalised by miscreants in village Hasnapur of Soharamau police station. The Sohramau police force is present at the scene. A new statue has been installed… Based on the complaint received, a case has been registered under relevant sections and necessary legal action is being taken,” read a statement released by the Unnao police. The Chandpur police also said a new statue has been installed and the situation was “normal and peaceful”.

The Opposition Congress called the two incidents “an organised design to humiliate the Dalit community”. “After the BJP came to power in U.P. feudal elements got emboldened. By vandalising Ambedkar’s statue, a signal is being sent by feudal forces to Dalits about them being second-class citizens,” said senior U.P. Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu.