Uttar Pradesh: Two more statues of Ambedkar vandalised

“We have registered an FIR. We suspect it occurred last night,” said additional SP (Trans-Ganga) Sunil Kumar Singh.

When contacted, the Phulpur MP said, “We have asked the district administration to install a big statue here and they have promised to do so. This is the fourth time this statue has been vandalised… we have asked for a police chowki here as well. Unlawful elements keep doing this, it is a shame.”

BSP Allahabad zone president R K Gautam said his party’s supporters and people, who “look up to” Ambedkar, are very “disturbed”. “In the last 15 years, since a private person got it built, this statue has been vandalised four times… We will stage a sit-in till the statue is replaced.” The district magistrate could not be reached for comments.

Outside Gauhani Raj village in Siddharth Nagar, villagers found the right upper arm of an Ambedkar statue removed, triggering protests. Based on a complaint lodged by village pradhan Lalman (a Dalit), an FIR was registered. “We will soon identify and arrest the miscreants,” said SHO Rajendra Bahadur Singh.