NEW DELHI: A statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar located in front of Ahmedabad’s Shri KK Shastri College in the Khokhra locality was vandalized in the early hours of Monday, sparking protests by locals, according to police.
“Some unidentified persons damaged the nose and spectacles on the statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar, located in front of Shri KK Shastri College in Khokhra locality of Ahmedabad city,” police inspector NK Rabari told PTI.
Authorities have filed a case against unidentified individuals under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including Section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, etc.) and Section 298 (defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class).
The act of vandalism incited anger among locals, who staged a protest near the statue, demanding swift action against the culprits. Protesters raised slogans and expressed outrage over the attack on the symbol of social justice.
The incident in Ahmedabad comes weeks after a similar act of vandalism in Maharashtra’s Parbhani city, where a glass-encased replica of the Constitution’s preamble near a statue of Dr Ambedkar was damaged, triggering widespread violence.
On December 10, tensions escalated in Parbhani as protesters, initially staging peaceful demonstrations, turned violent. Around 300 to 400 agitators damaged public property, torched vehicles, vandalized CCTV cameras, and stormed government offices, including the district collector’s premises. The police resorted to tear gas and lathi charges to control the mob, with order being restored by late afternoon through the intervention of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF).
The protests were further fueled following the death of law student Somnath Suryawanshi, who was arrested during the violence and died in police custody.
