Protest erupts in Aligarh after Ambedkar’s statue stolen

AGRA: A statue of Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar was allegedly stolen from Aligarh’s Ambedkar Park in Iglas area on Wednesday. The incident triggered protest by locals, who demanded immediate installation of a new statue.
According to police, the incident took place late on Tuesday night. Local residents noticed the missing statue early Wednesday morning and informed the police around 7am.As the news spread in the area, people started assembling there and blocked vehicular traffic on the road. The police reached the spot and pacified the agitating crowd by assuring installation of a new statue.
Police said it seems that some anti-social elements allegedly stole the statue to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the town. Late in the evening, a new statue of BR Ambedkar was installed by the local administration.
Station house officer of Iglas police station, Anil Kumar, said that a FIR has been registered under section 379 (theft) against unidentified persons. He said that the matter is being investigated.
Last year, several incidents of vandalism of Ambedkar statues were reported from various districts of Uttar Pradesh including Aligarh. Taking a serious note of such incidents, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had issued directives to the district magistrates and superintendents of police (SPs) to take steps to ensure the security of statues installed in their respective districts and see to it that such incidents are not repeated.