Tension prevailed in Sijhari and other neighbouring villages in Uttar Pradesh’s Mahoba district after a statue of Sant Ravidas was vandalized by miscreants in the intervening night of Thursday (November 6, 2025) and Friday (November 7, 2025). Villagers, mostly Dalits held a sit-in protest at the site and raised pro-Ambedkarite slogans, demanding strict action against the culprits.
Senior district police officials and local police teams, who reached the spot, assured the protestors of proper action and that any such incident will not be occur again. The demonstration has been called off by the villagers. Police personnel are present in the area to prevent any untoward incident.
A case has been registered under appropriate sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) with the police scrutinising CCTV evidence and other electronic material to nab the culprits.
Congress State secretary Brijraj Ahirwar also sat on a dharna with the villagers at the site. “The Circle Officer has asked for two days’ time. If the accused are not caught within two days, the Congress will be forced to launch a big movement,” he said.
Ravidas was a 15th-century Dalit saint and poet whose teachings are central to the Dalit anti-caste movement.
“On receiving information that the statue of Sant Shiromani Shri Ravidas Ji was partially damaged by some miscreant in village Sijahari under Srinagar police station area of Mahoba district, senior officials immediately reached the spot and inspected the incident site. A case has been registered under appropriate sections in the matter, investigation is underway and meaningful efforts are being made to ensure the early arrest of the culprits,” said Vandana Singh, Additional Superintendent of Police (ACP) Mahoba.
Opposition alleged that feudal elements who are emboldened under the present government are indulged in these anti-social incidents.
“The vandalization of the statue linked to Ravidas, Ambedkar, who are icons of marginalised communities has not happened for the first time. If you look back in the last one year, at least ten such instances from different parts of the State have come out in the public domain. The real issue is, the feudal elements who are emboldened by the rise of the BJP and its politics of hate, are doing it with the aim to send a message in the society, that symbol and self-respect of Dalits, marginalised, will be crushed. These incidents are part of a grand design of the ruling BJP’s politics of hate and those in power are responsible for occurrences,” said Anil Yadav, a senior leader of Uttar Pradesh Congress.
Published – November 08, 2025 04:26 am IST
