Vandals damage Ambedkar statue,protesters block Yamuna expressway

Sanjay Singh,who was stranded in Greater Noida,said: “Initially,we thought the road was closed because of the ongoing protest by farmers. Later,we learnt that it was for a different reason.”

A senior Jaypee official said: “This has nothing to with the farmer protests. The expressway has become a soft target for protesters. However,traffic was restored as soon as possible keeping the safety of commuters in mind.”

Residents of Tappal town said miscreants were trying to foment trouble because this was the second time in less than a month that a statue had been denigrated. On July 25,a Mayawati statue was beheaded in Lucknow.

They said around 6.30 am a shopkeeper raised an alarm after he saw that the Ambedkar statue at the road intersection in front of his shop had been vandalised. “Soon a crowd gathered. There was mud on the statue. The vandals had also used a hammer to damage it,” a resident of the town,Ramesh Kumar,said.

Sajjan Singh,a BSP functionary,said: “The crowd was shouting slogans when I reached the spot. Soon after,they marched towards the Yamuna Expressway.”

Senior Superintendent of Police Piyush Mordia said: “We will catch the vandals. As a precautionary measure,Rapid Action Force personnel and a battalion of Police Armed Constibulary have been deployed. Police are guarding the entrance to the expressway so that traffic is not affected.”