151 Ambedkar statues damaged across BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh since 2017: Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party chief questions police response to reported incidents
Lucknow:Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said that at least 151 statues of B.R. Ambedkar were damaged or defaced across 72 out of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh since the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government came to power in the state in 2017.
Yadav shared the details at a press conference in Lucknow, saying the figures were compiled by the Samajwadi Party from media reports and government date on police action.
Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb, played a pivotal role in the drafting of India’s Constitution and championed the rights of the marginalized communities, especially Dalits. His legacy carries significant political and social importance in Uttar Pradesh, where Scheduled Castes account for more than one-fifth of the state’s population. The state is scheduled to hold Assembly elections in 2027.
Yadav said that of the 151 cased documented by his party, arrests had been made in only 14. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said that no action was taken in 84 cases, while FIRs were registered against unidentified accused persons in 45 cases and against named accused in eight cases.
According to the Samajwadi Parte’s compilations, 46 statues of Ambedkar were damaged during the first tenure of Adityanath from 2017 to 2022, while 105 incidents were recorded the second term. The party said the figures were based on cases documented through media reports and may not include unreported incidents.
“And they deliberately deface them. They wanted to change the constitution but failed to do so. Babasaheb’s statue depicts him holding the book of the constitution – that is why the BJP and those who share its ideology target that very hand first,” Yadav said. “This is a BJP government; they do not honour Babasaheb Ambedkar – neither his statue nor his people.”
In a written appeal to the public, Yadav said that in more than 85% of these cases, the state police took no action against these “power-protected feudal anarchists”. He also said that, under the BJP government, Baba Saheb’s statues were being continuously targeted by feudal elements.
Linking the issue to the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Yadav urged people of Uttar Pradesh not to remain silent in the fight for Baba Saheb’s honour, the protection of the constitution and social justice. “Protest every such incident in your villages, towns and cities; ask questions, and in the 2027 elections, answer those feudal forces that play politics in Baba Saheb’s name but fail to protect his honour,” he said.
