A confrontation occurred late Sunday night at Ambedkar Circle in Udaipur when police stopped Dalit organizations and Bhim Army activists from hoisting a blue flag to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The incident, which unfolded around 9:30 PM, has sparked outrage among Bahujan groups, who claim the action highlights discriminatory treatment compared to other communities that are allowed to display their flags.
According to Shankar Chandel, a Congress SC Cell leader, activists had arranged for the blue flag, featuring Ambedkar’s image and the Ashok Chakra, to be hoisted on a long pole near Baba Saheb’s statue. However, Bhupalpura SHO Adarsh Parihar intervened, preventing them from proceeding. “We had arranged a crane, but the SHO not only stopped us but also misbehaved with the crane driver and drove him away,” Chandel told The Mooknayak.
Despite the activists’ assurance that the flag would be removed after Ambedkar Jayanti, the SHO insisted that permission from the ADM City and SP was required. Chandel added that the SHO even called his seniors in their presence but the request for permission was denied, leading him to believe that the police had been given specific instructions to halt the flag-hoisting.
The blue flag, activists said, carries no religious symbols and solely honors Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution. Chandel, in his remarks, questioned why flags of other communities, including those for Vivekananda Jayanti, Hanuman Jayanti, or Parshuram Jayanti, are routinely allowed in public spaces, while Dalit groups face restrictions. “We are being targeted because we are Dalits,” he stated, alleging a double standard on the occasion of Ambedkar’s birth anniversary.
Chandel took aim at the BJP, accusing the party of harboring anti-Dalit and anti-Bahujan sentiments alongside its anti-Muslim stance. He pointed to the recent Ram Mandir “shuddikaran” controversy involving BJP leader Gyandev Ahuja and claimed, “They speak sweetly to our faces, but their hearts are filled with hatred for Bahujans.”
As a response to the incident, Chandel announced plans to submit a memorandum to the Udaipur SP and Collector on April 15, protesting what he described as the discriminatory behavior of the police and administration.
Ambedkar Circle, located in the heart of Udaipur, features a life-sized statue of Baba Saheb and has traditionally been the site of Dalit group rallies on Ambedkar Jayanti and Mahaparinirvan Diwas. The flag dispute has now cast a shadow over this year’s celebrations, fueling local tensions and accusations of bias against the administration.
