A BR Ambedkar statue was found broken, lying in a garbage dump in Hyderabad late night on April 13. It was due to be installed by a group of activists on Ambedkar Jayanthi; however, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials reportedly seized it saying they did not have the required permissions.
Per a report in The News Minute, around 2 am, Saturday, members of the Jai Bheem Society reportedly gathered in front of the Hyderabad Central mall to install a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, ahead of Ambedkar Jayanthi on Sunday. The GHMC stalled the group, and the figure was reportedly seized from them on the grounds that they did not have the required permission. However, the group claimed that they had sought permission. Later in the day, the statue was found broken and found dumped in a garbage dump.
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The statue was reportedly taken to the Yousufguda GHMC yard nearby, and there, was allegedly placed in a garbage truck, and an attempt was made to shift it to Jawaharnagar, where the city’s main dump yard is located. With the news spreading, various individuals gathered to protest it. While the GHMC reportedly said that the statue broke during this scuffle, Dalit activists noted that the figure was already broken when it was unloaded. Reportedly, the Jawaharnagar police had to be called to handle the situation.
In pictures shared by The News Minute, the broken pieces of the Ambedkar statue lying among garbage can be seen. GHMC Commissioner M Dana Kishore reportedly said that an internal probe has been launched, headed by an IAS officer and that strict action would be taken against those found guilty. He also said that GHMC would act also against the yard operator in Yousufguda who loaded the statue on to the garbage truck. Per the report, a case has been registered with the Jawaharnagar police station under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Congress party condemned the incident. “Jai Bheem Society wanted to install the Ambedkar statue and also sought permission. They wanted the statue to be unveiled on his birth anniversary on April 14. However, GHMC authorities demolished the statue, and its debris was thrown in the Jawaharnagar dumping yard. Those who protested against the demolition were subjected to lathi charge by the local police. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao must tender an unconditional apology and install Dr Ambedkar’s statue at the same place at the government’s cost,” Dr Sravan Dasoju, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Spokesperson said.