Ambedkar statue found 'damaged' in Batala, cops say no vandalism

A tense situation was defused by the Batala police after a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was found damaged here today.

SSP Suhail Qasim Mir, in a video message, said residents had no reason to worry and added that a part of the statue may have broken due to natural causes and not due to any vandalism.

In the morning, some people in the Kapoori gate area noticed that a finger of the statue had been broken. The development had the Valmiki community on the edge, but the police reached in time to take charge of the situation.

SSP Mir said he had spoken to PWD officers who claimed the broken finger was an old issue. “We will take strict action against anybody found defacing statues of religious and political leaders anywhere in the city,” he said.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against unidentified persons on a complaint lodged by Valmiki community leader Rakesh Bhatti. The CCTV footage from nearby commercial and residential establishments is being reviewed to get the clues.