Dr Ambedkar's damaged statue replaced with new one

Allahabad, Dec 7 (UNI) A new marble statue of Baba Sahib Bheemrao Ambedkar was today replaced with the damaged one infront of the law faculty of the Allahabad University.

The six and half feet high marble statue of Baba Sahib was brought from lucknow last night and installed on the same place where the old statue was placed.

District Magistrate Amrit Abhijat said the statue was replaced after the consent of the BSP leaders and university authorities.

Tension had gripped after some anti-social elements damaged the statue of Baba Sahib infront of the Law faculty of the Allahabad University.

According to the reports, the right arm of the statue was broken, while other parts of the statue including the face were also damaged.

The activists of the Bahujan Chhatra Sabha blocked the roads and forced shopkeepers to close their shops.

At the civil lines main crossing, police resorted to mild lathi charge to disperse the mob, in which some of them sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the UP government has ordered a high level probe into the alleged incident in Allahabad, in which a hand of Dr Ambedkar's statue was found missing.

The incident comes on the heels of a similar case of desecration of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in Kanpur on November 28, which sparked off violent protests in Maharashtra. The issue was echoed in Parliament as well.

The statue was unveiled by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on December 18, 1997 when he was the Defence Minister in the Union Cabinet.

UNI JL/ATI RSC SK VV1521