Dalit activists staged a protest and rebuilt a platform for installing a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar at Velur village in Wargal mandal on Wednesday, a day after Roads and Buildings department officials demolished the original structure under police protection. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from Dalit organisations across the district.
What Happened at Velur Village
Members of the Dalit and backward class communities in the village had constructed a platform along with pillars around it about a week ago with the intention of installing a statue of Dr Ambedkar. R&B officials subsequently objected to the construction, claiming the land on which the platform was built belonged to their department, even though the location was reportedly around 50 feet away from the road.
Following a complaint from R&B officials, Gouraram police registered a case against 14 Dalits from the village. On Tuesday night, R&B officials removed the platform under police security, drawing immediate anger from the community.
Community Returns, Builds Again
News of the demolition spread quickly and drew Dalit activists from across the district to the village on Wednesday. Despite the presence of police, a large number of people gathered and constructed a fresh platform at the same site.
Dalit Bahujan Front secretary Shankar addressed the gathering and made clear that the community would not be deterred. “We will not tolerate any attempt to create obstacles in our efforts,” he said, warning that they would confront anyone who tried to prevent the installation of the statue.
Shankar also dismissed the need for any official permission for the act. He said the community had every right to install the statue of Dr Ambedkar and that no approval was required from any authority, as Ambedkar was the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
