Ambedkar's statue damaged in Haryana village

Tension prevailed in Haryana's Ramayan village, about 20 kilometres from Hisar, after a statue of Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar was found damaged today.

This was the third time the statue was vandalised. In 2015 and 2016, the same statue was damaged by miscreants.

The police said it had registered cases following previous incidents but failed to arrest the people behind the incidents.

Today, a large number of villagers owing allegiance to outfits such as the Ambedkar Yuva Manch, the Valmiki Sabha and the Backward Class Mahasabha started an indefinite 'dharna' near the Ambedkar Park, where the statue was found damaged.

They raised slogans and demanded immediate arrest of the culprits. An arm of the statue was broken and it was found at the base of the pedestal.

A team of administration and police officials from Hansi town reached the village and assured the villagers that people responsible for the vandalism would be arrested within a week.

They also assured the villagers about constructing a boundary wall around the park and promised to install a new statue of Ambedkar there.

A few villagers have filed a police complaint following the incident.