Noida observes Ambedkar Jayanti peacefully

Amid tension and heightened security, Ambedkar Jayanti was observed by Ambedkar followers and Dalit groups along with political parties in Noida and Greater Noida on Saturday.

No incident of ruckus or vandalism was reported from villages of Gautam Budh Nagar as processions and festivities were witnessed across the district to observe the birth anniversary of the country’s first law minister.

The main celebration was held in Dalit Prenra Sthal in Noida and Badalpur village of Greater Noida which is the native place of Mayawati, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

“As many as 5,000 people joined in the celebrations at Badalpur village of Greater Noida where many representatives of Bhaujan Samaj Party had arrived including Shamsuddin Rai, the zonal in-charge of the party. On this occasion, we remembered the efforts of Baba Saheb who fought for the rights of the oppressed all his life and contributed towards nation building. All women, children, youth and oppressed masses consider Baba Saheb their inspiration and share his vision of an India where every human being lives with dignity and respect,” Lakhmi Singh, district president, BSP, said.

However, the day was celebrated amid high security in Noida and Greater Noida after an Ambedkar statue was vandalised by miscreants in Richhpal Garhi village of Bisrakh in Greater Noida on Friday morning. Within a few hours, a new idol was placed at the same spot.

“We celebrated Baba Saheb’s birth anniversary by lighting candles and distributing food through bhandara in the Ambedkar park of the village. Every resident of the village contributed towards the celebrations and no incident of ruckus was reported,” Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Richhpal Garhi, said.

Police personnel were deployed at important junctions in Noida and Greater Noida where pro-Dalit groups had taken out rallies and processions.

“We had deployed policemen in all sensitive areas of Noida, including important junctions such as Sector 37, Noida stadium, Sector 12/22 and Dalit Prerna Sthal. The processions started from various points in the city and ended at Dalit Prerna Sthal. We ensured that the processions went by without any untoward incident. People from the local intelligence unit were also deployed at crucial spots,” AK Singh, superintendent of police (city), said.

Similarly, in Greater Noida, a battalion of the reserve police force was deployed to check any untoward incident.

“After the incident in Richhpal Garhi, we stationed a police team in the village and similarly, police personnel were deployed at all sensitive villages. No untoward incident was reported today,” Suniti, superintendent of police (rural), said.