Tensions erupted in Uttar Pradesh’s Kodapur village after unidentified individuals allegedly uprooted a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and dumped it in a nearby canal, police said on July 21.
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Preliminary findings from the revenue department suggest the statue had been installed on a disputed access path running through farmland. “The statue was at the center of a local dispute. Unidentified miscreants removed it and threw it into the canal,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ganganagar) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.
A case has been registered, and officials have assured that a new statue will be installed soon. “The situation in the area is peaceful and fully under control,” added DCP Gunawat.
Recurring Attacks on Ambedkar Statues Spark Concern
The Kodapur incident is part of a troubling trend of repeated vandalism targeting statues of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
In January 2024, a similar act of desecration occurred in Amritsar, Punjab, where a man was arrested for allegedly attempting to damage an Ambedkar statue on Republic Day. A widely circulated video captured the accused, Akashdeep Singh from Moga, climbing the statue with a steel ladder and repeatedly striking it with a hammer. He also targeted the nearby sculpture of the Constitution book.
The statue, located on Amritsar’s Heritage Street, had been decorated for a ceremonial garlanding when the attack took place.
Pattern of Vandalism Extends to Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh has seen a spate of similar incidents in recent years. On February 13, 2023, a statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Bommalasatram village, Nandyal district, was found vandalised—its nose and finger deliberately disfigured.
Police claimed they had identified the culprits using CCTV footage and had formed teams to nab them. However, the local Sub-Inspector declined to share the specific charges filed in the case.
On the same day, a separate controversy erupted at Jain University’s Centre for Management Studies (CMS) in Bengaluru, where a student skit sparked outrage. The performance included casteist undertones and a character mockingly named “Beer Ambedkar,” drawing condemnation from Dalit and student rights groups. Seven students and the principal were later arrested.
Older Cases Still Cast a Long Shadow
Incidents of vandalism targeting Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s statues are not new and continue to resurface across India. In February 2021, police in Chintalapudi, Andhra Pradesh, arrested a man for desecrating an Ambedkar statue by garlanding it with footwear—a deeply offensive act.
Back in 2018, parts of another statue were broken in Pedagantyada, near Visakhapatnam, again highlighting the persistent targeting of Ambedkar’s legacy in public spaces.
More recently, in December 2024, Ahmedabad police arrested two individuals—Jayesh Thakor and an unidentified accomplice—for defacing an Ambedkar statue in Khokhara. The statue, located near Jayantilal Vakil Chali and K.K. Shastri College, was found with its nose and glasses damaged.
While police responses differ across states and arrests are often made, these attacks point to a troubling pattern. In most cases, the damaged statues are eventually replaced, but the recurrence of such incidents underscores deeper societal tensions.
