Jajouli and adjoining villages in U.P.’s Kaushambi district were on the edge, after a statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was vandalised by miscreants early on Friday (June 19, 2026). The villagers, who are mostly Dalits, held a sit-in at the site. They raised slogans and demanded the strictest action against the culprits. Police helped reinstall the statue and persuaded demonstrators to end their protests after promising action and assuring villagers that there would be no repeat of such an incident. A significant number of police officers are still stationed in the area.
A case has been registered, and police are examining CCTV and other electronic material. “Senior police officials have inspected the site which falls within Paschim Shareera police station limits. A case has been registered against unknown individuals, and the investigation is underway. The statue has been reinstalled, and we are working to ensure the early arrest of the culprits,” said Janeshwar Prasad Pandey, Circle Officer (CO) Kaushambi.
Opposition parties described the incident as part of a nefarious design by feudal forces. “This act of vandalism is intended to convey a message to marginalised communities that the symbols and dignity of Dalits and other marginalised groups will be suppressed. Attacks on Ambedkar statues are not new in a U.P. that is ruled by the BJP. Feudal elements been encouraged by BJP’s rise and its divisive politics are trying to push Bahujans into a corner and reduce them to second-class status, but all progressive people will come together to defeat this move by the BJP,” said Ajay Kumar Lallu, a senior Uttar Pradesh Congress leader.
Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur and senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Afzal Ansari said such anti-social elements prosper because of the government’s inaction. “Such incidents are occurring regularly in the State and are meant to demoralise the Dalit and other marginalised communities. They are the result of the hatred spread by the BJP along with a pushback by feudal elements against the Dalits. There have been many incidents involving attacks on Ambedkar’s statue in U.P. In Ghazipur there have been three. It highlights the fact that feudal elements attack Dalits emotionally by harming Ambedkar’s statue, the community’s most important icon. Anti-social feudal elements have been emboldened under the BJP government and are flag bearers of the ruling party’s hatred agenda,” said Mr. Ansari.
Published – June 19, 2026 11:54 pm IST
