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Ambedkar statue found damaged in U.P.’s Sitapur; FIR lodged
According to police officials, the statue was installed at the primary school in Rikhipurva village of Piprahuri Majra under Hargaon police of Sitapur
Tension gripped a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sitapur district after a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar installed at a primary school there was found desecrated on Friday. Police and district administration officials rushed to the spot and got the damaged statue replaced immediately to avert any trouble in the area.
According to police officials, the statue was installed at the primary school in Rikhipurva village of Piprahuri Majra under Hargaon police station limits of Sitapur district. They said the villagers spotted the damaged statue on Friday morning when the children reached there for classes after which it was reported to local police station and other district administration officials. They said the head of the statue was damaged while the remaining statue was left installed.
Sitapur additional superintendent of police (ASP) NP Singh said additional force was called from nearby four police stations of Talgaon, Dehat Kotwali, Laharpur and Imalia Sultanpur to control the mob that gathered at the spot after learning that the statue had been damaged.
He said there was much resentment among people over the incident but the officials got the statue immediately replaced. He said the situation was completely under control now but some police personnel had been deployed in the village to avoid trouble.
The ASP said a First Information Report (FIR) for damaging the statue and hurting people’s sentiments had been registered against unidentified people on the complaint of local village head Vimla Singh and further probe was under way. He said the initial investigation suggested that the statue was damaged with the intention of inciting communal feelings among locals and disturb law and order.
