Violence erupts during 'Parbhani bandh'; MVA flays sacrilege to Ambedkar statue

Parbhani (Maharashtra): Large-scale mob violence, stray arson, stone-pelting, and vandalising public or private properties were witnessed during a shutdown call here to protest the desecration of a statue of B. R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of Indian Constitution, officials said here on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, some unknown miscreants had damaged a replica of the Constitution held aloft by the figurine outside the Parbhani railway station, triggering loud protests and violence there.

Furious over the slur to Ambedkar's statue, several local Dalit organisations took to the streets and called for a Parbhani bandh which evoked a near-total response since Wednesday morning.

The incident earned strong reactions from the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) President Prakash Ambedkar, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, Congress' senior leader Vijay Wadettiwar, Nationalist Congress Party (SP)'s state President Jayant R. Patil, Shiv Sena (UBT) Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari and other leaders.

Most shops, commercial establishments, and educational institutions remained shut for the day as crowds of protestors were seen roaming in different parts of the town, raising slogans praising Ambedkar and denouncing the incident that raised state political temperatures, ahead of the Winter Session of the Legislature opening in Nagpur on December 16.

Mobs pelted stones near the Collectorate office on some vehicles, burnt rubber tyres or heaps of garbage on the roads, and moved around wielding sticks, rods, or stones even as additional security reinforcements were rushed to assist the local police.

Hoping to control the unruly mobs, on at least one occasion the police resorted to mild caning or bursting teargas shells, and in several localities, they chased the groups of protestors to prevent them from wreaking more damage.

As a precaution, the police and administration appealed to the people not to succumb to rumours, remain calm and even cut off the Internet in the city, even as the police swooped in to detain one suspect reportedly involved in the insult to the statue.

Contingents of armed policemen and other forces were stationed at strategic locations in and around the city, and security has been beefed up in other sensitive districts elsewhere in the state.

"The vandalisation of the Constitution of India on Babasaheb's statue by casteist miscreants in Parbhani is absolutely very shameful, to say the least. It is not the first time such a vandalism of Babasaheb's statue or symbol of Dalit identity has happened," said Prakash Ambedkar.

Condemning the incident, Wadettiwar said that the defacement of the statue has sparked tensions in Parbhani and wondered "why the police and administration failed to curb it immediately when it came to their notice".

Patil flayed the incident and rued how "apathy is increasing in our society" with such slurs coming to light.

"There are no words enough to condemn this dishonour. The MVA has been campaigning for the past five years to save Democracy and Constitution, but now, certain vested elements are targeting the icon of the masses, Ambedkar's statue in such a shameless manner," said Tiwari.

Appealing to the masses to maintain peace, Ambedkar pointed out how the VBA's local workers first reached the scene and protested after which the police took note, lodged an FIR, and nabbed one suspect in the case, but he warned that if "all those responsible are not arrested within 24 hours, there will be consequences".

"The situation got out of hand as there was a lack of immediate action by the police. The government must give confidence to the people that the matter will not escalate further. I appeal to the Constitution lovers and the public to maintain their cool and cooperate with the masses," urged Wadettiwar.

Patil demanded action on such miscreants who attempted to provoke public sentiments, while Tiwari accused the ruling MahaYuti of failing to even form a Cabinet and now continues to fiddle while Parbhani burns.