Desecration of Ambedkar's statue leads to riots in Nashik

Desecration of Ambedkar's statue leads to riots in Nashik
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Nashik, Feb 14: The desecration of a statue of Dr B R Ambedkar in Satpur led to riots in which ten persons injured and over a dozen vehicles were damaged in this morning. Throughout the day tension prevailed in the entire city, which had just recovered from the riots following an attempt by a civic squad to demolish a portion of an unauthorised mosque.

The bust of Dr Ambedkar, installed in Mahadevwadi area of Satpur in 1964, was found garlanded with chappals around 6.45 A M today. A local resident, Krishna Tivre, informed the local police about the incident. As the news spread, a five thousand strong crowd collected at the spot. Annoyed by the incident, a mob went on the rampage on the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar road, pelting stones at vehicles and shops.

Eventhough the police removed the garland, it had to resort to lathicharge to control the mob, which went on a rampage in Jagtapwadi, Prabuddha Nagar and Satpur Colony areas and staged rasta roko on the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar road. Traffic had to be diverted through the MIDC industrial area and the Satpur-Ambad link road.

Ten persons, including a police constable and the local DCP Deepak Raskar, were injured in the stone pelting. Five MSRTC buses plying between the Nashik city and Satpur and one bus plying between Nashik city and Ambad were damaged in the stoning. After the incident, the MSRTC suspended its services on both the routes. The Satpur town came to a standstill as shops and establishments remained closed. The police imposed a ban on assembly of people in the town.

The incident also evoked reaction in several parts of the city like Ganjmaal, Jail Road, Nashik Road and Devlali Camp, where a bandh was observed. The local police stepped up vigil at predominantly Dalit areas to prevent any untoward incident.

The Satpur police arrested 20 persons in connection with the riots. An offense was also registered against unknown persons for desecration of the statue on a complaint filed by a local resident Vinod Bhimrao Kale. Shops remained closed in several localities and the volume of vehicular traffic lessened.