NAGAPATTINAM: An Ambedkar statue which was vandalised during communal clashes in Vedaranyam on Sunday evening was replaced with a brand new one within a span of 12 hours on Monday morning.
The statue of Dr BR Ambedkar located at the centre of Vedaranyam was vandalised by men belonging to the dominant caste community in retaliation to the torching of a vehicle by a group of Dalit men on Sunday evening, around 6 pm. A new statue was installed in its place on Monday morning before 6 am.
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The new statue was initially planned to be installed in Aaththur in Salem district in a few days. But, as the vandalism of the Vedaranyam statue created a major furore across the state and in social media, the state government quickly got in its feet and transported the statue meant for installation in Aaththur, and installed it in Vedaranyam. The vandalised statue was removed from the pedestal overnight on Sunday night.
Heavy police security was deployed in Vedaranyam since the violence broke out on Sunday evening. The police made a perimeter about 50 meters from the state's location in the wee hours of Monday, around 4 am. The new statue was unpacked, lifted of its weight by a crane, and carefully placed on the pedestal. Then, a couple of painters painted the statue with gold colour. After the paint dried, the statue was garlanded.
VCK functionaries arrived at the spot around 9 am and expressed satisfaction at the quick work of the government, district administration and the police. The Superintendent of Police TK Rajasekaran, who arrived to see the completed installation, suggested for caging the six-feet-tall statue to prevent potential vandalism attempts in future.
Section 144 remained enforced since Sunday evening. The new statue was provided with a ring of police security. There was also deployment of police for every 50 meters in Vedaranyam town. The shops remained closed for the most part of Monday.