Two statues of Dalit icon and father of the Indian Constitution Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar were found damaged in Ballia and Badaun districts of Uttar Pradesh, triggering off protests by members of the Dalit community on Saturday, police said.
According to the police, In Ballia’s Thedwari village under the Nagra police station area, the right hand, leg and head of the statue was found desecrated on Saturday morning. These incidents led to tension in the area, police added.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Avdhesh Chaudhary rushed to the spot with additional force and somehow pacified the protesters.
A similar incident happened in Badaun where a statue at Ambedkar Park in Dugraiya village was found damaged.
We have covered the vandalised statue with cloth and started a probe into the incident, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kamal Kishore said.
Cases have been registered against unidentified persons and efforts are on to nab the culprits, and additional force has been deployed, the SP added.
Earlier, similar incidents were reported from Firozabad, Etah, Siddhartnagar and Allahabad districts where statues of Dr Ambedkar were vandalised by unidentified people.
After that incident, UP’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued directives to the District Magistrates and SPs to take steps for ensuring the security of the statues installed in their respective districts