Mob with Bajrang Dal members damages Ambedkar bust in MP village, assaults Dalits: Police

On Tuesday, the mob also damaged the house of this man and planted a saffron flag atop it.

Five people from the procession, who are named in the FIR, damaged the Ambedkar statue. When village residents objected to this, the mob assaulted and abused them with casteist slurs, police said.

Police registered an FIR at Ichhawar police station under multiple IPC Sections — including those related to criminal intimidation, causing hurt, outraging religious feelings and mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs 50 — as well as under Sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The in-charge of Ichhawar police station, Usha Marawi, said: “We have arrested three people in connection with this case. The crowd may have had Bajrang Dal members, but it mostly comprised people from nearby villages. Around eight days ago, a fight had broken out during a religious procession. A villager, in an inebriated state, hit a priest carrying a Hanuman flag with a stick. There was a photograph of Hanuman fixed atop the flag, which was damaged. The present incident took place because of that. The villagers thought their rally would not be allowed to enter the village, hence they gathered in great numbers. They did not take permission from us.”

Members of a local Dalit rights organisation, Bhim Yuva Sanghatan, Thursday surveyed damage to the Ambedkar statue, which was developing cracks in its neck area.

The statue was erected in April. The main accused in the case, Ajay Rathore, had allegedly objected to its erection. Rathore, a Bajrang Dal member, is among the three arrested people.

A Bhim Yuva Sanghatan member said: “There have been fights over the placing of Ambedkar flags at the entrance of the village and the installation of the Ambedkar statue. The gram panchayat had decided to install the statue. We did it with everyone’s permission, but tensions have been boiling because of that.”

A local RSS member, Dhiraj Patidar, said: “Ajay Rathore and many people were from the Bajrang Dal. But the organisation never had an issue in this village. When they turned up with the procession playing a DJ and began damaging the statue, I objected to it and fought against the mob. Most of them were outsiders. We have nothing against Ambedkar.”

The members of the mob also climbed atop the home of Kanhaiya Lal, who has been arrested under a separate FIR for damaging the Hanuman flag, and damaged his roof. His father, Durga Prasad, said: “They planted a saffron flag and left after damaging the roof. My son was drunk when the incident happened. They should not have attacked my home.”

Rathore’s father, Gorelal Rathore, said: “My son has been with the Bajrang Dal for two years and mostly attended meetings after working in his field. There was a fight over the Hanuman photograph being damaged and my son came with a group raising Jai Shri Ram slogans. Things soon got out of hand, but he had left and was not responsible for damaging the Ambedkar statue. If the Prime Minister himself respects Dr Ambedkar then what issue do we have? I myself was present when the statue was installed. He wrote the constitution for all of us.”