Statue vandalism continues: BR Ambedkar's statue desecrated in UP

New Delhi: A statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was vandalised late on Tuesday night by unidentified persons in Meerut's Mawana, leading to protests from members of the Dalit community and BSP workers.

The statue's head was found dismantled on Wednesday morning in what was yet another incident of vandalism in the country. Statues of former Soviet leader Lenin in Tripura, social activist Periyar in Tamil Nadu and BJP founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee in West Bengal have also been vandalised in recent days. The destruction of BR Ambedkar's statue - much like other incidents - led to angry protests with members of the Dalit community blocking traffic in the area.

While the local administration has assured a thorough investigation into the matter, it has also promised that a new statue of Ambedkar would be put up.

Incidents of vandalism against statues though has become a key topic of debate in the country and on Wednesday morning, PM Narendra Modi issued a strong condemnation and even spoke to Home Minister Rajnath Singh.