3 booked for installing Ambedkar statue 'without permission'

Three persons have been booked for allegedly installing a statue of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar "without permission" at a public place in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, police said on Saturday.

According to reports, some people constructed a platform at a public place in Domhar village in Sahjanwa area on Thursday night. They started performing a puja after installing Ambedkar's statue on Friday.

When the police reached the spot and tried to remove the statue, which it said was installed without any permission, the villagers opposed it, an officer said.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rohan Botre reached the spot and tried to persuade the villagers, following which light force was used before removing the statue, the police said.

An FIR has been registered against three villagers -- Ranvijay, Rudal and Ram Naval -- and unidentified persons, Sahjanwa Station Officer Hareram Singh said.

The have been booked under Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 447 (criminal trespass), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code, Singh added.