Uttar Pradesh: Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue vandalised in Meerut, Dalit community protests

In continuing statue desecration, Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue was vandalised by unidentified people in Meerut’s Mawana, late on Tuesday night. The Dalit community held protests and blocked traffic in the morning. It ended the protest after assurance from the administration of installation of new statue, reported ANI.

The police have also registered a case against unknown people. However, according to News18, city administration acted fast and avoided any further deterioration in the law and order situation by replacing the damaged statue with a new one. It is still unclear as to who were behind damaging Ambedkar’s statue.

In last 48 hours, statues of prominent political thinkers which have been damaged across the country. Two statues of Communist icon Lenin were brought down in Tripura following the BJP’s emphatic win in the state over the Left, which was in power for more than 25 years. A statue of social reformer and founder of Dravidian movement E V Ramasamy Periyar was also allegedly vandalised in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district on Tuesday night.

Also Read: After Lenin, Periyar, now Bhartiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s statue vandalised in Kolkata

Some members of a left wing student organisation on Wednesday allegedly vandalised a bust of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee here and blackened its face, in Kolkata. In which police have detained six members of the student organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh over incidents of toppling of statues in various parts of the country post the BJP’s victory in Tripura. “Incidents of toppling of statues have been reported from certain parts of the country. Union Ministry of Home Affairs has taken serious note of such incidents of vandalism,” an official statement said.

Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday spoken to Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy and state Police chief Akhil Kumar Shukla, requesting them to take steps to control the violence, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government.

(Inputs from Agencies)