A day before birth anniversary, another Ambedkar statue vandalised

A statue of BR Ambedkar in Richhpal Garhi village of Bisrakh in Greater Noida was found damaged, a day before the nation commemorates the birth anniversary of the Dalit icon.

The incident came to light Thursday morning when the villagers spotted the statue of the Dalit icon damaged. Heavy police force was deployed in view of the tense situation.

Suniti Singh, SP (rural), said a case was registered against unknown persons for vandalism and that the guilty would not be spared.

A large number of people from nearby villages had gathered after news of vandalism spread. Police, however, contained the mob. Mr Singh said that the damaged statue was being replaced with a new one.

Security has been beefed up in Uttar Pradesh in view of Ambedkar Jayanti to prevent any possible attempt at inciting violence, with political parties drawing up separate plans for the occasion.

Incidents of vandalism have been on the rise, with many statues of icons being defaced in various parts of the country.