Maharashtra violence: Protests in Parbhani after man tears Constitution near Ambedkar statue

The agitators demanded strict punishment for those who insulted the statue.

Violent protests took place for the second day in central Maharashtra's Parbhani city on Wednesday over alleged vandalising of a replica of the Indian Constitution, police said.

Amid the bandh called by some organisations, a mob indulged in arson and police fired teargas shells in response, a senior official told PTI.

How did the protest begin?

An unidentified person on Tuesday damaged a replica of the Constitution held by the statue of B R Ambedkar outside Parbhani railway station, triggering arson and stone-pelting, police said.

A crowd of around 200 people gathered near the statue after the word spread about the damage. According to the official, stones were hurled and incidents of arson were also reported from the area.

Maharashtra: In Parbhani district, followers of Ambedkar vandalized vehicles, shops, and committed arson in multiple areas after an individual tore a replica of the Constitution placed in front of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's statue pic.twitter.com/AWAZ6f10tb
IANS (@ians_india) December 11, 2024

They blocked the railway tracks for over 30 minutes before being evicted by Government Railway Police (GRP) and local police personnel.The train finally left Parbhani station around 6.52 pm.

Protesters demanded strict action against the person responsible for damaging the replica of the Constitution and sought protection for all statues of national leaders.

Police arrested a man in connection with the incident, but protests resumed on Wednesday morning.

"Pipes outside a shop were set ablaze around 1 pm. As the mob became violent, police fired tear gas shells and dispersed them," said acting Superintendent of Police Yeshwant Kale.

The protesters were demanding that police find who was behind Tuesday's incident of vandalising, he told PTI.

Bandh was also observed in the Vasmat area of the district, according to local police officials.

President of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and grandson of BR Ambedkar, Prakash Ambedkar, said: "The vandalisation of the Constitution of India at Babasaheb's statue by casteist Maratha miscreants in Parbhani is absolutely very shameful, to say the least. It is not the first time such vandalism of Babasaheb's statue or symbol of Dalit identity has happened. VBA Parbhani District karyakartas were the first to be on the scene and their protests led to the police filing an FIR and arresting one of the miscreants."

Prohibitory orders

The administration has imposed prohibitory orders to prevent the assembly of people in one place. The police are informing the public of the prohibitory orders through speakers and advising against gatherings on streets or grounds, according to reports.