Tension grips village in Chittoor district after miscreants vandalise Ambedkar statue

Tension gripped Vedurukuppam and surrounding mandals in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, after unidentified persons vandalised and set fire to a statue of Ambedkar at Devalampeta village in the early hours of Friday (October 3).

According to reports, the miscreants poured petrol on the statue, its pedestal, and the surrounding iron bars before setting it ablaze. Villagers who noticed the fire rushed to the spot and tried to douse the flames.

Immediately after the incident, hundreds of villagers from nearby hamlets staged protests on the roads. Traffic on rural roads towards Puttur, Pallipattu, and Kothapallimitta was disrupted as angry protestors resorted to rasta-rokos, demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible.

Additional police forces from Chittoor, Puttur, and Nagari were deployed in several villages across Vedurukuppam, Karveti Nagaram, and S.R. Puram mandals of the Gangadhara Nellore Assembly constituency (SC Reserved).

District Collector Sumit Kumar and Superintendent of Police Tushar Dudi visited Devalampeta and convened a meeting with community elders, appealing for peace. Deputy SP (Nagari) Syed Mohammad Azis told The Hindu that a case had been registered over the vandalism. “We have assured the villagers that the culprits will be arrested soon. We are questioning suspects and verifying CCTV footage at all vital junctions in and around the crime spot. Based on the Collector’s orders, a new statue of Ambedkar will be installed in the village on a war-footing. The law and order situation is fully under control,” he said.