HYDERABAD/RAJAHMUNDRY: Another statue of BR Ambedkar was attacked and disfigured in east Godavari district, this time at Dowleswaram, near here, on Wednesday night. The miscreants chopped off the face and right hand of the statue and threw it into a canal of Dowleswaram.
Reacting quickly, the government decided to send a group of ministers on Friday to Amalapuram and other areas where Ambedkar statues were destroyed. Ministers D Manikya Vara Prasad, C Ramachandraiah, Thota Narasimham, P Viswaroop and deputy speaker Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will visit the places in East Godavari to inquire into the incidents. The latest incident led to protests from Dalit organisations and political parties across the state on Thursday. A group of people belonging to the SC community conducted rasta rokos and dharnas. Traffic came to a halt in Dowleswaram and also on the national highway for a distance of 10 km from the Vemagiri Junction. About 10 vehicles, including RTC buses, were damaged by the agitators.
Rajahmundry Urban superintendent of police P Umpathi, DSP (south zone) Raja Gopal, and revenue divisional officer M Venugopala Reddy rushed to the spot to study the situation. Police forces were deployed in the area to prevent further trouble.
The Urban SP said special teams were formed to nab those who damaged the statue. The RDO said the government would take stern action against the miscreants and urged the public to maintain peace. When contacted, DIG (Eluru Range) G Suryaprakasa Rao said steps were taken to prevent further trouble in Dowleswaram.
On Sunday night, four statues of Ambedkar were demolished in Amalapuram, which created an uproar across the state.
A police team, under the supervision of additional DGP Krishnam Raju, is speeding up the investigation into the Amalapuram incidents. The investigation is likely to be completed in two days. It is learnt that police took some suspects into custody for questioning. Additioanal director-general of police Krishnam Raju, IG (Visakha Range) KV Rajendranadh Reddy, East Godavari SP C Trivikrama Varma are still camping in Amalapuram.