PUDUCHERRY: The statue of Dr B R Ambedkar at Vambapet in Panithittu village got damaged when New Year celebrations by some youth went haywire. The police has registered a case against four youths aged 18 to19 years, following a complaint from Bhoobalan, a village panchayat member.
Police said that the complainant had stated that during the New Year celebrations, some youths in an intoxicated state indulged in stone throwing which damaged the statue. Moreover, he also stated that the headlight of a bike had been broken by the same group.
There are around 100 scheduled caste families residing in Vambapet in Panithittu village, a coastal village with majority of the residents being fishermen. The damages to the statue hurt their sentiments and they protested by staging a dharna demanding action against the youths who indulged in unruly behaviour resulting in the disfiguration of the statue. This led to Bhoobalan giving a complaint following which three cases under IPC sections 427 (damages to public property), 294 (use of vulgur and filthy language) and 143 (unlawful assembly) have been registered against the four persons. A search is on to arrest the culprits, police said.