Protesting against the desecration of the statues of Dr B R Ambedkar in Amalapuram in East Godavari district, Dalit organisations on Tuesday staged a dharna in front of Ambedkar’s statue at Tank Bund, Hyderabad.
Participating in the agitation, eminent educationist and MLC CH Ramaiah, Telangana Praja Front leader Gaddar, Telangana Vidyavantula Vedika president Mallepalli Laxmaiah and MLC J Prabhakar condemned the incident and said that the incident was a blot on the face of India’s democracy.
Demanding that the government re-install the statues and ensure protection of all the Ambedkar statues established in other parts of the State, they also demanded the arrest and severe punishment of the perpetrators.
Another Dalit activist Katti Padma Rao, speaking to HMTV, held the government responsible for the incident. He alleged that the government failed to protect Dalit communities from the atrocities and attacks by some vested interests.
As the dharna turned into a road blockade on a busy Tank Bund Road, police swung into action and arrested the leaders and shifted them to Nampally police station. Mild tension prevailed when the activists of the Dalit organisations resisted the police attempt to arrest them. Earlier, the Dalit leaders offered floral tributes and performed “palabhishekam” to the statue. [The Hans India]