Protests erupt in UP districts after desecration of two Ambedkar statues
Statues of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar were found desecrated in Allahabad’s Trivenipuram locality and Siddharthnagar’s Gohaniya village here on Saturday morning.
The incidents triggered protests by locals, who demanded immediate arrest of the culprits.
In Lucknow, the chief minister’s office said the incidents were serious and Yogi Adityanath has already issued instructions to district magistrates and district police chiefs to ensure that action is taken against miscreants and damaged statues are replaced immediately. “Take tough action against those responsible for the vandalism of statues and make all possible efforts to maintain communal harmony,” the CM office quoted Adityanath.
In Allahabad, police said the head of Ambedkar’s statue at a park in Trivenipuram was found detached from the bust early in the morning.
They suspect the incident took place late on Friday night. Enraged BSP and SP workers staged a demonstration in the park, demanding action.
Patel alleged that the BJP was politicising Ambedkar by renaming him but had failed in ensuring security of his statues in the state. Later, SP workers also staged a demonstration at Subhash Crossing in Civil Lines.
SSP Allahabad Akash Kulhary gave instructions for installation of a new statue by evening. Protests also erupted in Gohaniya village of Siddharthnagar after news of statue desecration spread in the area.
Manoj Gutam, founder Dr Ambedkar Navyuvak Samiti that had erected the statue on April 14 last year, informed the police and the SDM after he noticed its broken right arm.