By Omar Rashid
New Delhi: On April 10, the residents of Jarbo village in Jhansi erected a statue of B.R. Ambedkar in a park after collectively pooling in Rs 50,000. The six-feet tall figure of the iconic social reformer was to be unveiled at a special event four days later on Ambedkar Jayanti. However, on the night of April 12, police and revenue officials marched to the village and removed the statue from the site – a piece of government land – while the locals were cordoned off.
The police said that the statue had been installed illegally, without securing the mandated permission of the administration. A criminal case – a copy of which is with The Wire – was lodged against 25-30 unidentified persons on the charge of illegally trying to capture government land by installing a statue of Ambedkar. The police also accused the villagers of trying to spread enmity between “various groups and castes” and adversely influence the harmony in the village.
“This act reflected a feeling of enmity among other castes,” police sub-inspector Neeraj Kumar, who was on security duty that day, said in his official complaint.
Jhansi police said that when it reached the spot after getting information about the statue, those who had erected it fled from the spot. The statue was removed and “respectfully” taken to the local police station, as it had no claimant at the site, said police. They also claimed that some of the locals had also opposed the installation of the statue. In the FIR, police booked 25-30 unidentified persons for criminal trespass and promoting enmity between different groups in a place of worship. Village head Saroj Ahirwar, a Dalit woman, however contested these claims. She said that the statue was installed by the villagers themselves, cutting across castes.
“They collected Rs 50,000 and built the statue in the park, which I had constructed. There was no protest by anyone. Thakurs and Brahmins also participated along with Dalits,” Ahirwar told The Wire.
Ahirwar admitted that she did not secure the permission of the administration before allowing the statue to be installed but feels that once the statue was in place, it made no sense to remove it. She also condemned the police case against the villagers.
“All the allegations of land grab are fake. The statue was installed by the villagers after reaching a consensus. So when the officials came here, I requested them to let the statue stay. I told them we would keep the statue covered and only unveil it after I got the official permission. But they did not listen to me,” said Ahirwar.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.